Shadow Relm
by Arjent Draconis
Summary: During a routine practice flight in the desert, the SWAT Kats are pulled through a portal into another world.  There, they must rescue a beautiful warrior she-cat and help her stop the evil tyrant from rulling all of the Shadow Relm.  please R
1. A Light in the Desert

The setting sun cast a red glow onto the golden desert sands. Everything seemed quiet and still, until a sudden loud roar cut through the air as the Turbokat sped by low to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and sand in it's wake. T-Bone pulled up sharp, leaving a small dust devil on the ground below. Razor simply fought to stay conscious through the multitudes of twists, turns, rolls and dives at mach 4 and 5. Things had been fairly quiet in Megakat City lately and they were bored. Especially T-Bone. He put the jet, and himself, through their paces, keeping his flying skills sharp.

A sudden rattling sound combined with a flashing warning light caught Razor's attention. "Slow it down, Hot Shot! Looks like we got a loose heat shield panel."

"Aw crud." Reluctantly, T-Bone decreased the power to the engines, slowing the jet down to only mach 2. The rattling stopped and the light went off.

"I thought we checked those recently?"

"Last week."

"That long?"

"Yeah, things have been that slow, guess we got a little too lax."

"No kidding." The large tabby angled the jet down into a canyon, flying sideways through the narrow walls. As he pulled out of it, something caught his partner's attention.

"Hey! Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"That flash of light in the cliff side."

"I didn't see anything? Is your radar picking anything up?"

"Negative. Swing back. I wanna have another look."

"Roger that." The jet turned and swept back over the canyon, this time flying just above it. This time they both saw it, a silvery light glistening in the rock. T-Bone brought the jet as close as he dared to the cliff so Razor could run a sweep with his sensors as they passed by. What happened next shocked them both.

The light suddenly flashed blindingly bright, then everything went dark, as if the setting sun had suddenly vanished, bringing on the night an hour early. Even though the dimensional radar was on, the screen went completely static. They were totally blind. And worse, they were spinning, with no idea which direction they were going, and absolutely no control over the jet.

"Razor! What the heck's going on? I can't level her out!"

"Got me! All my sensors are going haywire!"

Suddenly there was another bright flash, and they could see again. The dimensional radar came back online. T-Bone immediately leveled out the jet and looked around, making sure they weren't about to crash. They weren't. In fact, they were now some distance up, looking down on a foreign landscape. The sun seemed a bit higher in the sky than before, about 2 hours till sundown now. But it was strange. It appeared bigger, and was a deep red color, casting an eerie red glow on the land below them. It wasn't desert, but forest!

"What the...? Oh please don't tell me we just got thrown back into the Dark Ages?"

"I don't know, T-Bone. That sure didn't seem like one of the Pastmaster's time portals, but this deffinantly isn't home?"

"Oh, when I get my claws on that Pastmaster I'm gonna..."

"T-Bone, look out!"

Too late, they both looked up to see the great beast drop down out of the clouds above them. T-Bone managed to turn the jet just in time to avoid a direct collision, but not fast enough to avoid the creature's barbed tail from slashing into the right wing. "What the heck is that?"

"A dragon?"

"Pastmaster..." T-Bone growled as he lined up the jet behind the flying monster to give Razor a clear shot.

"Launching bola missile!" The missile fired, and hit it's mark, pinning the creature's wings. It dropped from the sky with a loud screech. But the fight wasn't over yet. Two more dropped down out of the clouds, attacking with their barbed tails, powerful jaws, and the claws on their single pair of legs. With the right wing already damaged, even T-Bone's piloting skill wasn't enough to avoid more severe damage and they went down.

"We've got to eject!"

"No way! I can still level her out! Landing gear down!" T-Bone fought the controls hard, trying to keep the jet steady and they descended, fast. "C'mon baby..." He managed to mostly level off just before they crashed through the canopy of trees. The trees were large, the trunks spaced far apart despite the emense branches tangling together above. The crash 'landing' was jarring, and one of the landing gear broke off on a fallen tree. Still, they made it in one piece.

"Woah, nice flying."

"Told ya I could get her leveled out." He opened the canopy and they both stood up to get a better look around. Despite the red sun above, the forest canopy was so thick that it seemed like dusk. Everything was strange, and completely quiet now that the engines were shut off.

"Yeah, but the question is, where are we?"

This is my first attempt at a SWAT Kats fan fic. Hope you enjoy!


	2. Back in the Dark Ages?

The thick canopy of the forest made everything seem like dusk, but when the sun really did set, everything turned to blackness. The jet was badly damaged, beyond possible repair outside of their hanger. And here, with no parts or tools, there was no hope. What's worse, they didn't even know where, or when, they were. The two kats stayed near the jet, doing what they could to fix what they could. When darkness came, the forest seemed to come alive with strange sounds. Creatures, many of them, some obviously large, called from the shadows. Massive bats flew through the branches above. Eyes glowed from every direction. At times it seemed that T-Bone had no fear at all, but even he decided it was best to spend the night in the jet, canopy closed. And it was a very long and miserable night indeed.

When dawn finally came, it cast the same eerie red glow on the land, most of it blocked by the thick trees so it still seemed as dark as dusk, as if the night's shadows refused to give way to morning. The night creatures had disappeared, but rather than the silence of the previous day, now the forest seemed alive with the singing of birds and the buzzing of insects. Despite the darkness, it now seemed a bit more pleasant place. Strange pale flowers opened everywhere, drinking in the dim light. 

T-Bone looked around the unusual landscape. "Well, guess we need to try and figure out where we are. And find something for breakfast." 

"Yeah. I'd swear I saw signs of a camp not far from here before we crashed. That way, I think." Razor pointed ahead of them, towards the east. The two secured the damaged jet as best they could and took their glovatrix, opting to leave the cyclotron for now. Walking carefully, they both had the strange feeling that something, or someone, was watching them. No animals could be seen other than the birds & insects, and an occasional black-furred squirrel. Even the animals they could see appeared to stop what they were doing and watch the pair as they walked by. 

"You sure you saw a camp this way, Razor?" 

"Looked like one." 

"'Looked like'? You don't _know_ if you actually saw anything?" 

Before Razor could answer, a voice yelled at them from the shadows. "Stop right there! You've come far enough." 

Instinctively the two turned and aimed their glovatrix at the direction of the voice. "Well, guess that answers that." 

"Yeah, except I think we now have a bigger problem." T-Bone nodded to their left and Razor followed his gaze, then turned his head to the right. They deffinatly had a problem. They were surrounded. 

"Hands up, intruders. You have no chance." The owner of the voice stepped forward. The kat had tawny fur and sandy brown hair that hung down past his shoulders. He wore studded leather armor with a dark mottled green cloak and was armed with a crossbow aimed straight at T-Bone and Razor. A sword hung at his left hip. Two-dozen other such armed kats surrounded them, all aiming crossbows. 

"Great. Back in the Dark Ages." T-Bone sighed and held up his hands. Razor did the same. 

"Come with us." 

They were escorted about another two miles through the dim trees in silence. Each time they tried to ask a question, or even attempt to get a word out at all, they were silenced by the leader of these medieval kats. T-Bone was getting very frustrated and had to work at keeping his temper in check. At length they came to a very large clearing at the foot of a cliff. It was a camp all right. A large one. An entire army was set up in the clearing, with hundreds of tents, dozens of war-horses, livestock, supply wagons, and even an open-sided smithy built from logs cut from the massive forest trees. 

The SWAT Kats were led through the camp towards what they could only conclude was the command tent. They couldn't help but notice that not everyone in the camp were soldiers. She-kats, kittens, and elderly worked at preparing food, mending armor & clothing, repairing weapons, and various other tasks. Everyone stopped and stared at the two as they passed by. 

At length they came to a large tent of dark blue cloth. 

"Wait here" the tawny-furred solder told them just before he entered the tent. A moment later he returned, following a somewhat tall, well built light gray kat in his late thirties. The kat had a steel breastplate with an emblem in front of a hawk flying over a crescent moon, as well as steel plating over his shoulders, arms, and legs. His dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he walked with an air of authority. 

T-Bone leaned over and whispered to Razor. "Great, it's the Dark Ages version of Commander Feral." 

Razor couldn't help but snicker at the comment. 

The kat narrowed his dark blue eyes at them. "Who are you, and how have you come to be here?" 

Before either SWAT Kat could answer, another voice came from the entrance of another nearby tent. "Hold, General! Let me see these outsiders." 

The kat who approached them now was dressed from ears to tail in dark blue robes, rimmed in silver runes. His hood was raised, so that only his face and paws could be seen. He had silver fur patterned with a multitude of small steel-gray spots. His eyes, partially covered by black hair, were also steel gray. In his left hand was a silver staff, carved over with the same ornate patterns of runes, and topped with a large multi-faceted sapphire. Around his neck he wore a pendant, also of carved silver. The stone in it's center appeared to be a sapphire, but it glowed with a soft silver light. He approached the SWAT Kats, stopping only a few feet away and looking them over closely. 

"Yes, these two are not our enemies. They can help us. They can free Elena!" 

"What? Are you sure of this, Mau?" The General was clearly shocked. 

T-Bone and Razor glanced at each other, then back to the kats before them curiously. 

"Yes, General. I am sure. The Talisman has told me so." 

"Release them!" 

The response was immediate. The soldiers released the pair, obviously in awe of what the hooded kat had said. The spotted kat then adressed them. "Please forgive General Birman and Captain Cymric. We must always be vigilant, and that can lead to suspicion of strangers. For you see, we are at war with an evil tyrant. A dark sorcerer who seeks to rule the Shadow Relm, and enslave all within it." 

"The Shadow Relm?" T-Bone was puzzled. 

"Yes, you are in the Shadow Relm. A world apart from yours." 

Now things were starting to make sense to Razor. "So... we haven't been thrown back into the past? We're in a completly different... world?" 

"Yes." 

"Terrific." T-Bone shook his head. This was not sounding good. 

"Please, allow me to explain a few things. First off, I am Mau, High Wizard of the Moon." The spotted kat bowed. "And this," gesturing to the kat beside him, "is General Birman. We serve the Lady, Elena Kougré. She is the chosen of the Moon Talisman. A powerful artifact, one of two, that can effect, and alter, the balance of our world. But she has been captured by the sorcerer, Shade Kat. He commands the Sun Talisman, and wishes to obtain the Moon Talisman to gain ultimate power. If he obtains both Talismans, nothing can stop him from complete domination of the Shadow Relm. So far, the Moon Talisman has kept this encampment safe, but Elena was well outside of the encampment when Shade Kat's pawns captured her." 

"So... if he has captured this Elena, does that mean he now has both talismans?" T-Bone was now _really_ not liking the sound of this. Magic talismans, an evil sorcerer, trapped in another world. 'Could things possibly get any worse? Oh great, I shouldn't have thought that because now they probably will.' 

"No. She used her magic to send it away, to me, the moment before she was captured." He gestured to the glowing talisman around his neck. But without her to lead us, to use the Talisman's full power, we cannot hope to defeat Shade Kat. Please, help us. And in return, perhaps we can help you. If we defeat Shade Kat, and Elena gains both of the Talismans, she should be able to use their combined power to return you to your own world." 

"Well, looks like you got a deal." He hated magic, but T-Bone certainly wouldn't let a tyrant destroy these kats' freedom, nor could he permit a she-kat to be held captive by this apparent monster. 

"Do you know where she is being held? And any way to get there, and get in?" Razor was already trying to formulate a plan. But first, he needed as much details at these kats could give him. T-Bone may hate magic, but Razor is always up for a new challenge and this place fascinated him. So long as there was still a way to get home, that is.


	3. Rescue

The entire day was cast in the strange red glow of the giant sun. The sorcerer, Mau, had explained that it would be best to attempt the rescue at night. Shade Kat's power was strongest in the day with his Sun Talisman, while the Moon Talisman's power was strongest after the red sun had vanished below the horizon. He, along with General Birman and Captain Cymric, who had first 'found' the SWAT Kats in the forest, gave the best details they could of Shade Kat's citadel and the surrounding area. 

"The most likely point of entry would be here. "Cymric pointed to a point on the map near the rear of the castle. There's not much space between the moat and the wall, only a couple of feet. But there's a crumbled section of wall partially hidden behind some overgrown vines and bushes. There's also a fallen tree here, where you could cross the moat. It's best to stay_ out _of that water." 

"Fine by me." T-Bone didn't like the idea of crossing the moat at all. He knew Razor was a good swimmer, but he certainly wasn't. 

"What sort of defenses are we looking at?" 

"Koblins patrol the castle inside and out. They're tough, but not overly so. It's their numbers that's the issue. Best to just avoid them if at all possible. The Wyverns patrol the skies above. They're what you have to watch out for. If they see you, it's over." 

"Wyverns?" Both spoke up at once, already having an idea of what he was talking about. 

"Yes. Large flying beasts with crushing jaws and barbed tails that can slice through steel armor like nothing." 

"Yeah, we had a run-in with them already." T-Bone growled. Those were the things that tore up his beloved Turbokat. 

The other three kats all looked up sharply. "And you survived them?" It was Birman who spoke. 

"Barely. Messed up our jet pretty bad." Razor didn't even notice the looks. He was still studying the map. 

"Your 'jet'? 

"Long story." T-Bone couldn't help a slight grin. 

That evening, just after sunset, Captain Cymric led them to Shade Kat's citadel. He rode a chestnut war horse, which was surprisingly agile and quiet despite being such a large animal, as was the dark gray mare ridden by Mau. The SWAT Kats took their cyclotron. Stopping about a half mile away, Cymric pointed out the safest path through the trees to the castle. 

"Take this with you. It will help hide you from the wyverns and koblins. It will also help lead you to Elena." Mau took the talisman and handed it to Razor. 

As he took it, the talisman took on the same soft silver glow from the first time they had seen it. He put it around his neck. "Woah." 

"Good luck to you. Please bring Elena safely back to us." 

T-Bone nodded. "We will." 

The pair left the cyclotron where Cymric and Mau waited, and made their way on foot the rest of the way to the back of the castle. Avoiding the koblin patrols was the easy part. Stealth was something they were very good at. At one point though a dark shadow swooped low over the crescent moon. Quickly they ducked behind a nearby tree stump, a most of the trees near the castle had been cut down. 

"Did it see us?" 

"I don't know." 

The wyvern turned and came back, flying low and more slowly. It had seen something and was now searching. 

"Crud." They were getting ready to use the mini-missiles in their glovatrix when the talisman around Razor's neck glowed again. The shadow of the large stump suddenly deepened. They could still see the wyvern drawing nearer, but couldn't see each other, or even their own hands in front of them. "What the...?" 

They wyvern swooped low, passing only a few yards above them, then rose again, back into the sky. 

"It didn't see us?" T-Bone glanced to his partner, who he could now see again, and noticed that the talisman had stopped glowing once more. "Did that thing save us?" 

"Looks that way." The awe in Razor's voice was obvious. "C'mon." 

The continued carefully but quickly forward again, finally reaching the fallen tree that partially spanned the moat. 

The larger kat looked over the rotting tree. "Well, it doesn't go all the way, but we can easily jump the rest of it." 

"Wonder why Cymric said to stay out of the water?" 

"Who cares. Let's just hurry and get across." 

Razor led the way, T-Bone cautiously following. The log was rotten and small chunks came loose under their paws, but they kept their balance. Razor paused, nearly causing T-Bone to run into him. "What is it? Let's go!" 

"No, something's wrong." He laid his ears back. He had a bad feeling. Something made him turn his attention to the right. "There's something in the water." 

"What? I can't see any... Ah!" Before he could finish his sentence, a large purplish tentacle came up and grabbed T-Bone by the legs, and pulled him down into the water. He dug his claws into the rotting log, fighting with all his strength not to get pulled under. 

"T-Bone!" Razor took a breath and dived in. The talisman again glowed, this time much brighter, giving Razor plenty of light to see in the murky water. The moat was unbelievably deep and the tentacle seemed to go down to it's very bottom, much too far to see anything. Aiming his glovatrix, he fired two mini-blades, severing the tentacle. A cloud of black blood came from the severed stump as it pulled itself back down into the depths. He swam back to the surface and the two climbed back up onto the fallen log. 

"THAT would be why he said to stay out of the water!" Razor said as he climbed out, the talisman's glow again vanishing. 

"Yeah. Another good reason to get this over with!" 

They quickly made their way across, leaping the last two yards to the opposite shore. 

"Alright, now where's that hidden entrance?" 

Razor placed a hand to the talisman, then pointed to a nearby section of overgrown vines. "There!" 

"You sure that's it?" 

"I know it is." 

Pulling the vegetation out of the way, they saw that there was indeed a loose stone, the mortar that held it in having crumbled away. Carefully they pulled the stone out, revealing a dark, narrow passage. 

"You first, bud. You're the one with the magic necklace." 

"Thanks a lot." The smaller kat carefully crawled through the hole, followed by his partner. They dropped down into a passage lit by dim torches along each side. There was no sign of koblins, or anything else for that matter. They were at the end of a long corridor, rows of wooden doors along each side. 

"Okay, now what?" 

"We came right into the dungeon. Elena's nearby behind one of the doors a little further down." 

"How the heck can you know that?" 

"I don't know. I just do." 

"It's gotta be that necklace." 

"I think your right. Mau said it would lead us right to her." 

They made their way down the corridor. The talisman started glowing again, the glow getting stronger as they continued on. Finally Razor stopped and look to a door on the left. The glow was now pulsating. "There!" They ran over to it and Razor used his glovatrix to pick the lock. Opening the door, the only light in the damp room came from talisman and the torches in the hall beyond. 

On alert for traps or enemies, the two cautiously entered the cell, finding a she-kat in the center of it, hanging from her wrists by a rope coming down from the ceiling. Her head was down, face hidden beneath long black hair with streaks of red, like blood, down the sides of her ears. Her body was limp, she didn't even seem to be alive. Her clothing was simple, not at all what they had expected for this 'Lady' who was the leader of such a large army. A blood-soaked shirt with a deep "V" neck lined with a short ruffle and loose long sleeves, brown leather breeches, and a dark blue wrap skirt trimmed in silver. 

The talisman pulsated strongly. "That's her!" 

"Alright, let's cut her down and get out of here." T-Bone moved to hold the she-kat while Razor moved around behind her, ready to cut the ropes with the tiny buzz saw in his glovatrix. Suddenly he froze, wide-eyed." 

"What is it?" 

"You've got to see this." 

T-Bone moved around behind the she-kat and he too stared in shock at what he saw. The back of her shirt had been ripped open, the long hair pulled away over her shoulders. Her back was covered in uncountable gashes, some still oozing blood, other somewhat older ones clearly infected. She had been badly whipped and tortured.

Anger filled the tabby. "How could anyone do this?" 

"We're definitely going to have to find a way to stop this guy!" 

"Agreed. This Shade Kat is certainly going to pay for this!" 

"Right. But later. For now let's just get her out of here. Maybe Mau knows a way to heal some of these wounds. They look pretty bad." 

Carefully they cut her down and carried her back to the end of the hall, then out the hidden opening. Once outside, they had to be careful getting back across the moat, the log was now almost ready to give way beneath them. 

They made it back across safely, but a loud screech above caught their attention. A massive black shape angled swiftly down out of the sky straight at them. They'd been spotted. 

Both took off running, T-Bone carrying the unconscious Elena. About half-way to the trees, Razor suddenly stopped and dropped to one knee, taking aim at the creature with the glovatrix. "Keep going!" 

"C'mon Sure-Shot! Take that thing down!" T-Bone called over his shoulder as he kept running. 

Razor took aim, then the talisman glowed brightly again. He fired a mini octopus missile, which glowed with the same silver light as the talisman as soon it he did. The aim was perfect, it hit the wyvern square in the face. The glow brightened to blinding silver light that surrounded the wyvern. The beast screamed, then disintegrated into a black mist. All went dark again, but they could hear koblins not too far off, heading their way. Somewhere near the top of the castle, a dark figure watched in silence on a balcony. 

Razor managed to catch up to T-Bone, the koblins close behind. 

"Good shot! I'm glad that necklace is on our side!" 

"Me too, buddy. Now let's get our tails out of here!" 

The koblins caught up to them just as they were reaching the tree-line. They fired their crossbows, but luckily they all missed. It was as if they couldn't see their targets very well despite the clear night, and they hesitated going into the dark forest. The kats were out of breath by the time they reached where they had left the cyclotron. Mau and Cymric where still there. 

"You made it! Thank the Gods!" Cymric ran over, Mau right behind him, and carefully took Elena from T-Bone. His jaw dropped when he saw her back. "They've tortured her near to death! Mau, can you heal this?" 

"Maybe. But not now. Look!" 

He pointed to where the koblins, now more than three dozen of them, where running through the trees after them, wielding swords and flails. 

Mau and Cymric lept onto their horses, Cymric holding Elena in front of him, and took off at a full gallop. The SWAT Kats gunned the cyclotron and likewise took off, keeping their pace with the swift horses. Despite what T-Bone considered to be a slow pace, they left the koblins well behind. 

They made it back to camp in less than two hours, Mau and Cymric keeping their horses at a run straight through the multitude of tents. They didn't stop until they reached the command center where they took Elena inside another dark blue tent between the command tent and Mau's. T-Bone and Razor parked the cyclotron outside the tent next to the sweating horses just as General Birman ran out of his own tent. "How is she?" 

"Badly wounded. Mau's going to try to heal her." Razor took off the talisman, no longer glowing, and the three walked quietly into the tent. Cymric had set Elena on her stomach onto the cot and was now standing back out of the way while Mau knelt over her, his hands glowing silver. The talisman lit up again with light and burned in Razor's hands. "Ow! What's going on?" 

Birman looked to him. "The talisman! Give it to me." 

Razor handed it to him and the large kat hissed with pain as it burned into his palms. Quickly he moved beside Mau and placed it onto Elena's wounded back. The glow spread over Elena's entire body, and the group watched as the wounds slowly began to heal and close. Soon there was nothing left but a few light scars. The glowing stopped entirely and Mau fell over, completely exhausted. Cymric helped the wizard up and assisted him back out of the tent. As they passed by, Mau turned to T-Bone and Razor, and nodded weakly. "Thank you. You not only have saved her, but may have just saved us all as well..." With that he left, helped by Cymric. 

General Birman picked up the talisman, now cold and dim again, and set it on the small table beside the cot. He then gently pulled the blanket up over Elena while she slept. Turning, he left and tent, motioning for T-Bone and Razor to follow him. 

Once outside, they saw the horses nearby, unsaddled and being tended to by a group of teenagers. Birman was solemn, his voice soft and eyes downcast. "I don't know how to thank you. You don't know how great a service you have done for us in returning her. If anything happened to her, I could never face my father and grandfather in the afterlife." 

"Huh?" This caught them both by surprise. 

Birman looked up, his eyes betraying the pain hidden behind his tough visage. "The talisman, it prevents her from aging somehow. She came to my grandfather's village nearly fifty years ago." 

"Fifty years?" They both yelled out simultaneously. 

"Yes. My grandfather was the magistrate. She was wounded and fatigued, wearing clothing similar to yours. She would never say where it was she came from. The village's blacksmith had been recently injured in an accident, so she took his place. She could work steel like no-one had ever seen, folding it to be both lighter and stronger than any other blacksmith had dreamed it could. With her tools and her knowledge of how to make mechanical things, the village thrived. The day that Shade Kat appeared, she fought alongside my father and grandfather to protect the village. My grandfather was killed, and in his dying breath, put her in charge of our people. For the past twenty-two years she's kept us safe from Shade Kat, and her army slowly grew as more and more towns and villages fell to his power. Mau says there is a prophecy, that there would be those who come not from our world, chosen of the Moon Talisman, who would defeat Shade Kat and bring again an age of peace to us. We always knew it would be her who led us. But now that the two of you are here, we believe the prophecy may be close to fulfillment. Your coming to our world was no accident. The Moon Talisman had summoned you." 

They listened to the kat's story. It was all a bit much to absorb. Finally T-Bone shook his head. "Okay, hold it, hold it. You're saying that, that necklace summoned us here? To this world? And Elena before us, to help you defeat this Shade Kat?" 

"Makes sense to me!" Razor was starting to get used to them being the 'saviors' in more worlds and times than just their own. 

"It would. Anyway's, we certainly have no problem in kicking Shade Kat's tail for keeps, but how are supposed to accomplish this? I mean, our biggest weapon is completely useless right now." 

"Yeah, unless you guys have an aeronautics repair station around here somewhere, I think we're kinda screwed there." Something then occurred to the smaller kat. "Hang on, what did you mean that she wore clothing similar to ours?" 

"Just what I said. Her clothing was very similar, except of course for your gauntlet weapons. That and, of course, she didn't have a mask." 

"She's a pilot?"


	4. The SilverHawk

It was late morning the following day. T-Bone and Razor had been given a tent on the opposite side the command pavilion from Elena's and Mau's tents. Again, the land was bathed in the deep red glow of the strange sun. They had both slept in, and now worked on the cyclotron's suspension after the escape through the thick forest the previous night. T-Bone had a slight feeling of being watched, and looked up to see a she-kat with light brown fur and striking emerald eyes watching them. 

Elena was standing in the entrance to her tent. She had changed shirts, the new one the same as the old, except that it's color was black, and wore the Moon Talisman around her neck. Her hair was pushed back to frame her face and flow back over her shoulders, and there were two small braids, one in front of each ear, that were blood red in color. Last night T-Bone thought it was actual blood, but now he could see that it was the braids' actual color. She had a silver ear stud in her right ear. In her left ear was a matching stud, and a small silver hoop. Her fur wasn't like most kats. It was coarse and flat against her skin, as was the fur on her long tail, save for a tuft on the end of it the same shade of black as her hair. T-Bone couldn't help but notice her exotic beauty. 

The tabby tapped his partner on the shoulder and pointed behind him. Razor turned around, following T-Bone's gaze to Elena. "Woah. Umm... I'm glad to see you're feeling better, m'Lady." 

The she-kat stepped forward, walking over to them. They both stood up as she approached. "I am told you are the ones who saved my life. I thank you." 

"Not a problem, ma'am. Name's T-Bone. And this is my buddy, Razor." 

She gave a soft smile. "Your call-signs, I take it?" 

They stared. There's only one way she could have known that. "You... _are_ a pilot?" 

She nodded. "My call-sign's 'Dragonfly'. And yes, I'm not from this world either." 

Now Razor was very interested. Of course T-Bone was too, but in more ways than just one. "So, how did _you_ get here?" The ginger-furred kat wondered if she was from their world, or a completely different one with different technology than they had. 

"I was test-flying the prototype of the new jet I had designed, and built. The 'SilverHawk'. On my flight I saw a shine on the side of a nearby mountain. I went to take a closer look and run a sensor sweep, but was suddenly blinded from a flash. Then everything went black. I couldn't see anything, but could feel my jet spinning out of control. When I finally regained control, I was here. Unfortunately, I was too close to the ground and couldn't pull up in time. I barely had time to eject before the jet crashed." She sighed. T-Bone understood the feeling, with his own beloved Turbokat now severely damaged. 

Not quite as upset as the other two pilots about their jets crashing, Razor's curiosity was piqued. "So, you couldn't repair your jet, and ended up living in a nearby village... as a blacksmith?" 

She looked up, a bit surprised. "You've been talking to Birman, I see. Yes. With my knowledge of metalworking and mechanical design, it was something I could do and still enjoy." 

"For fifty years?" 

Another deep sigh. "Yeah. I found the talisman not long after my arrival, shimmering at the bottom of a stream. It was another two decades before I learned of it's true power." 

"So... where's _your_ jet?" 

"Buried. It crashed into the base of a cliff and was covered over in a landslide." 

"Ouch." T-Bone flinched. He pictured that happening to the Turbokat then shook his head to get rid of the image. 

Elena's expression then changed a bit. "Cymric mention that you said your 'main weapon' was badly damaged. I assume he meant your jet. May I see it?" 

Rather that risk the cyclotrons' suspension through the woods again, they took horses the several miles back to the Turbokat. Elena had a coal-black charger, a small white star on his forehead the only color on the large stallion. She rode bareback, seeming to move as one with the animal. T-Bone was given a large blood bay while Razor rode a sleek liver chestnut. The horses were swift and agile, but also surprisingly smooth, much to the relief of the two city-dwelling pilots. It didn't take long to reach the jet. 

Elena dismounted and left her stallion to graze as she looked over the Turbokat. The guys could tell she knew what she was doing. She walked all the way around it, then spoke to them, her eyes still on the jet. "Amazing! I've never seen it's like. The only thing in my world that even comes close to it is my SilverHawk. I'd love to see it without all this damage." 

T-Bone swelled with pride. Not only was she a pilot, but she obviously knew a lot about jets, and apparently appreciated the Turbokat's design and technology. He was very curious about what her jet looked like. 

Razor dismounted and walked over to her. "We designed and built it ourselves. It's the most advanced technology on our world right now." 

She turned sharply to him. "You two built this? Are you military?" 

T-Bone winced. "We used to be Enforcers. The law-enforcement in Megakat city, where we live. They have choppers and jets, but nothing like out Turbokat."  
"I see. So you did this on your own. Interesting..." there was a hint of something in her voice, but neither of them could make out what. Razor wondered if maybe T-Bone said a little too much, and hoped they were right in guessing she was from a different world than they. After another few moments, she spoke up again. "I think I know of a way to repair your jet." 

They both yelled out in unison. "You do?" 

She turned back to them with a smile. "Follow me." Without another word, she ran back to her stallion and lept agiley onto his back, the horse taking off at a fast canter before she had even fully gotten her seat. Razor ran to get back on his horse and they followed. 

She led them deep into the forest to the north. The trees grew closer together and the foliage was dense. They eventually had to slow to a trot, then a slow walk as the horses carefully moved through the thickening foliage. At length she stopped and dismounted. "We have to go on foot from here. It's too treacherous for the horses."  
They made their way through the thick undergrowth, which was slowly beginning to give way to large boulders and loose rocks. Leading them down a steep hill, they came to a tiny cave in the cliff side. Elena ducked inside. The guys hesitated, then followed. It was dark inside so they turned on the lights on their helmets. Elena hissed sharply. "Turn those back off." 

They were about to protest, but did so any ways. Once they did, they saw a soft glow ahead of them. Razor guessed it was the talisman. He guessed wrong. Rounding a corner they looked in amazement as the sides of the cave glowed. Elena explained. "The moss here has it's own natural glow. Bioluminescence." With the glowing moss lighting their way, they made it easily the rest of the short way through the cave. It then opened up to a larger cavern. T-Bone and Razor stared at the sight in front of them. The cave had been made long ago, about fifty years obviously, from a landslide. Inside it, partially holding up the ceiling, was a fighter jet! 

"With enough kat-power, we should be able to dig this out and use it to repair your jet." 

The jet was smaller and sleeker than the Turbokat, designed for only a single pilot.. 

"Wow!" T-Bone was quite impressed with it's design. "I'll bet she's fast." 

"_Very_ fast. I designed her for speed and maneuverability above all else. Although she still has no shortage of weapons. Can carry up to seven missiles per wing with a hookup underneath for bombs or cargo containers. Three laser blasters. One under the nose and one of the tip of each wing." 

"All external weaponry?" 

"Yes. The two Primary engines take up most of the internal space. The rest is the fuel tanks." 

"I can't wait to have a look at that engine!" 

"Me neither!" Razor was also impressed with the design. "This thing's amazing! You're quite the aeronautics designer." 

"Thanks." She couldn't help a slight blush. It's been a _very_ long time since anyone complemented her work. And even longer since anyone actually appreciated it. 

T-Bone then remembered that they had done some serious work beforehand with the Turbokat and the fuel was getting low. "How many fuel tanks does she have? How much does she hold? 

"Tanks are all nearly full. There's two that supply the main engines. That way if one of the tanks or it's lines are damaged, I can shut it off and run off the second one. Each tank is connected to each engine, so in case of engine failure I can just switch over to run singly. Two more tanks supply the rotary thrusters, and there are three nitrous fuel packs." 

"Good," said Razor. " We're gonna need those. It's real shame that we're gonna have to take this apart. If there were anyway to repair both jets, it would be a big advantage." 

"I know. And it pains me with the knowledge of what has to be done. But we need your jet fully functioning. Besides, maybe one day, if I ever get out of this world, I can build another, better jet." 

Speaking of fuel tanks and engines, Razor took a look at the rear of the jet. "You mentioned two main engines and rotary thrusters. How many does this thing actually have?" 

"The Primary engines are over twice the size of the two Secondarys. The Secondarys power the thrusters, one fore and two aft. They're on rotaries allowing for precision maneuvering and even vertical take-off and landings." 

"Just like the Turbokat," Razor noted. There was a lot about the smaller jet that was similar to the Turbokat. He was quite impressed at how this she-kat's designs seemed to match his own so well. 

"I tried to work in the nitrous boosters for additional speed bursts. Problem is they made it a little _too_ fast. The shielding just isn't designed for the extreme gees or the produced heat." 

"Have you tried heat shields?" 

"As I said, this is just the prototype. I was working on a heat shield design for later use." 

"We installed them on the Turbokat a little over a year ago along with our own jet boosters. They work perfectly but have to be constantly checked for safety. If they come even slightly loose we've got a problem." 

"Really? Well, there's got to be a way to make them more durable." 

'Trapped here for 50 years, and this is only her prototype jet? Wow, if she had stayed in her own world her technology may have even succeeded ours!' "I've been working on it. We were actually doing a practice flight when we ended up here. One of the shields came loose. Maybe you could take a took at it and see what you think?" 

"Sure!" 

T-Bone finally turned away from his own inspection of the jet. "So, are we right in guessing your from a different world than we are? But with similar technology?" 

"Yes, you are right. However, unlike you, I have no wish to go back to mine." 

"What? Why not?" 

"Because it's military ruled. We have no freedom. You do whatever the government tells you too. I was an aeronautics and weapons designer. Not because I chose to be, but because I was good at it. Even though this world has no technology, people can actually live as they wish. That is, until Shade Kat appeared." She hesitated a moment, then finally shook her head and decided to ask the question that's been bothering her all day. "If you don't mind me asking, you've been here, what, three days now? This isn't your world. No-one here knows who you are or what you've done beyond three days ago..." 

They looked at each other. Both knew what she was getting at. It was T-Bone who spoke up. "You want to know why we're still wearing our masks?" 

"Well... yes." 

Razor shook his head. "It's who we are. When we wear them, we're the SWAT Kats. When we don't..." 

"You're _still_ the SWAT Kats. At least, here you are any ways. It's going to be days, perhaps even weeks, to rebuild your jet. Please, I would like to know what my saviors look like." 

Again they looked at each other, each trying to decide what to do. Finally, T-Bone made the decision. She was right, and there was no way he could stay like this for as long as it would take to repair the Turbokat. Slowly, he pulled off the mask, then looked back to Elena. She smiled. Razor did the same.


	5. Celebration

It was twilight when they finally arrived back at camp, but plans were quickly made on how to unburry the SilverHawk and move it, in parts if need be, as well as the Turbokat, back to the camp. The next morning, a large portion of the northern part of the clearing, not too far from the smithy, was cleared out. Oxen and draft horses were harnessed and every bit of rope and chain in the camp was gathered. The first order of business way to get the Turbokat. It took almost the entire day, but finally they got it (not all in one piece unfortunately) back into the clearing. The SilverHawk was more difficult. It was further away, and through rough terrain. A small, temporary camp had to be made halfway between it and the main camp. It took 3 days just to remove the majority of the fifty years of rock and plant growth. Chance and Jake had switched their flight suits for more comfortable work clothes borrowed from some of the soldiers. 

Once all the parts of both jets had been collected and assembled in the clearing, the real work began. For the most part, Elena ran the forge. Though she had several assistants to help her whom she had taught in the past years her methods of working steel. Even Chance helped with the reforging of the parts to rebuild the Turbokat, and found that he was actually quite good at it. Jake oversaw the majority of the reassembly, with Elena making suggestions on how to improve certain parts (such as keeping the heat shields more secure.) Working with the medieval tools was a real hassle, but with Elena's added knowledge, they were able to make it work quite well.  
It took a long time (at least to Jake and Chance's standards), but they managed to finally rebuild the Turbokat. There was only one problem, they had no paint designed for use on a jet fighter! 

Chance looked at his now rebuilt jet. "Only one more thing would make her perfect." 

Elena chuckled. She seemed to know what he was referring to. "Allow me." She walked up to stand four yards away from the jet, and held up the talisman in her hands. It glowed brightly for several moments, then a powerful beam of bluish-white light shot from it, surrounding the Turbokat in a bright glow. It took almost 15 seconds, but when the talisman finally went dark again, the glow on the jet faded to reveal it once again as black as pitch, with it's characteristic red markings. Elena stumbled but managed to keep her balance. The spell apparently took a lot out of her. Chance and Jake looked up and the now completed jet, then back at Elena. Chance couldn't help but smile.

"Perfect..." 

That night there was a great celebration in the camp. It had been almost three full weeks since the SWAT Kats arrived. The Turbokat had been completed, and all were in high hopes that soon the prophecy would be fulfilled and Shade Kat's rule would be at an end. There was much feasting, and drinking, around a massive bonfire. Kats sang and danced. Jake and Chance were enjoying themselves, but soon noticed that one kat was missing. Chance found Captain Cymric a bit away from the main festivities with his group of rangers. They were sitting quietly eating roast mutton and drinking plain water. Cymric nodded politely to Chance as he approached. "Hey Cymric, do you know Elena is? I haven't seen her in the past couple hours?" 

"Preparing. She says 'it's almost time'. I'm sure she means to make the attack tomorrow night." 

"Where?" 

Without getting up, he turned and pointed up to the cliff looming above the camp. "There's a way up near the smithy." 

"Thanks." Chance nodded to the Captain then turned and headed towards the smithy. He found the 'way up', which was actually a narrow ledge not even two feet wide that wound up the shear cliff. Carefully, he followed the trail, and found himself almost instantly back in thick forest at the top. Walking back in the direction to where Cymric had pointed, he came to where the trees gave way to a tiny clearing beside the ledge, overlooking the entire camp. There he saw Elena, a sword in hand, practice fighting. She was very good, he noted. 

Elena mostly kept her eyes closed. She knew where the trees were. Knew where the ledge dropped away to the clearing far below. Knew where every rock poked out through the thin blanket of grass. She didn't need to see when her other senses were so acute. She could hear, smell, feel, everything around her. Her paws moved so lightly with each step that it seemed as if not even a single blade of grass bent beneath her. Something moved, her right ear twitched at the virtually inaudible sound. She turned swiftly, swinging the blade at shoulder height, arm straight, and stopped in mid-stroke. 

Chance froze, the blade barely an inch from his neck. 

Elena smiled and opened her eyes, lowering the blade slowly. "_Never_ try to sneak up on me like that." 

Chance put his hands up. "Got it." 

She sheathed her sword and he lowered his hands. "What are you doing up here anyway? Your army is all down there celebrating." 

She sighed and lowered her eyes. Turning, she looked over the cliff and the festivities below. "It's almost time." She then looked up to the moon, casting it's silver glow over the landscape. "Tomorrow night will be the full moon. That's when we will attack Shade Kat's citadel. The timing of the completion of your jet couldn't have been more perfect." 

"When the moon's the brightest. The light should be to our advantage for a night attack." 

"No, it's not light I want. It's darkness." 

The confusion was obvious in Chance's expression. 

"Tomorrow night there will be a total eclipse. _That_ is when we will attack. The darkness will hide us while the Moon Talisman will be at it's strongest. Shade Kat's Sun Talisman is more powerful during the day. We will have a much greater advantage. I hope you are as good at flying as I believe you are. It will be very difficult in the darkness. 

He couldn't help but smile proudly. "No problem. Jake's dimensional radar makes night flying a snap. I can see perfectly with it." 

"Good." She sat down, her feet hanging over the edge of the cliff. 

Chance walked over and sat beside her. "There's something I don't quite understand though. Why don't you want to go back to your own world? Why stay here?"  
She cast her eyes down sadly, and remained silent several long moments. Chance was about to apologize for asking something that so obviously pained her when she finally spoke up. "As I told you before, in my world I lived in what was strictly a military government. They ruled everything, and everyone. There was no freedom. For anything. My..." She hesitated, the bad memories finally welling back up from where she had buried them so long ago. "My parents were killed when I was young. In an 'accident' I was told. The army raised me, trained me to build and to fly. They saw my potential as an aeronautics and weapons designer very early. To be honest, I don't think that what had happened to my parents was an accident. I think the military wanted me for their weapons program and my parents refused. What the military wants, it gets, no matter what." 

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No wonder you won't go back..." 

"It gets worse. It's not just that I won't go back, I can't. To do so, is my own death." 

"What?" 

"I vanished, with my prototype jet. If I return, especially without the SilverHawk, I'll be hanged for treason. It won't matter what I tell them. No judge, no trail, just execution."  
Now he understood. No-one would want to go back to that. Not when they could make a new life, as they wished it, elsewhere. For a while they both just sat there in silence, looking down at the celebration below. At length, Elena stood up. "I guess it's time to get back." She had a faint smile on her face, and almost seemed a bit more at peace now that someone else knew her long kept secret. 

Likewise, Chance also stood up, and the two made their way carefully back down the cliff to the camp below. 

Once they got back down to the camp, Elena went to go speak with Captain Cymric while Chance rejoined Jake near the bonfire. 

"Where've you been?" 

"Talking with Elena." 

"Oh..." 

"Stop that!" 

Jake snickered. 

"She was telling me a bit more about her world. And why she won't go back. I don't see how anyone would." 

"What's wrong with it?" 

"The question is, 'what's isn't?'". 

About that time, General Birman walked over to them. He had removed with metal breast plate and coverings, now wearing simple leather armor. He also brought with him three mugs of mead, two of which he handed to Chance and Jake, then sat down on the log next to them that served as a bench. Chance sniffed it curiously. "What is this anyways?" 

"Mead. It's made from honey, and we add a bit of cream into it as well for extra flavor." 

He took a slight sip. It was stronger than he expected. "Not bad." 

Jake tried it as well, and was pleasantly surprised at the strange medieval drink. 

"I want to thank the two of you." 

"For what? We haven't done anything yet?" 

"Yes you have." He nodded towards the multitude of celebrating kats. "You've given them hope. Even Elena seems different now. It's been a long time since I've seen her this way: content, almost happy." 

Chance took another sip of the mead then paused, looking at the group of kats dancing around the bonfire. At one in particular, slightly obscured on the other side of the flames. Jake and Birman both noticed and followed his gaze. Elena was there, her dark blue skirt and raven hair flowing as she danced. 

Birman smiled. "In fact, I've not seen her like this in a _very_ long time. Since I was a kitten, before Shade Kat. She's dedicated herself so much to this cause of protecting the people and defeating Shade Kat that she's become a stern warrior, almost emotionless. I don't think she even remembers that she is still just a she-kat. A beautiful she-kat." 

Jake smirked and leaned over to Chance's ear. "A _very_ beautiful she-kat, isn't she?" He snickered. 

Chance raised his hand and was about to knock his friend off the log, hard, when the sudden silence made him pause. No-one danced or sang. All were now either sitting or kneeling, looking at a small table not far from the bonfire. 

Elena sat upon the table, a fiddle in her hands. As she touched the bow to the string, the soft music that came from it burned it's way into the hearts of all who listened. Slowly, other instruments joined in, creating a beautiful and enchanting song. Then, she sang. Her voice rang pure and clear over the encampment. Her song was a ballad, a tale of a young peasant girl who could touch the minds and souls of wild beasts, and how she and the animals stood alone against a band of powerful sorcerers intent on enslaving her people. 

Chance was enchanted by her beautiful voice. 'Dang... engineer, pilot, blacksmith, warrior, dancer... is there anything she _can't_ do?' 

When the ballad ended, the music slowly faded away back into silence. No one dared make a sound to break the mood set by their leader's song. None that is, but her. Without warning, she touched the bow to the strings again, and the music that came was fast spirited, showing her true skill and mastery of the instrument. She began a new song, of a woman who challenged the Faerie Queen herself to a duel of fiddle playing to win back her lover, who had enthralled by the Queen. Chance would almost swear she was looking at him as she sang. The song was fast paced and Elena stood upon the table, dancing as she played. 

This song, unlike the first, brought a fury of cheering and applause once finished, including from Chance and Jake. 

She put up the fiddle, but then someone nearby began to play a guitar. The final song was short and also fast-paced, and the gestures she made along with the lyrics quite amusing. A warrioress, witch, and wolf had traveled in disguise to trick and defeated a hoard of bandits, then took revenge on the traitorous guard who set up the ambush. This final song sent everyone to fits of laughter and applause as she finished it then lept lightly off the table. Grabbing a mug of mead she made her way through the crowd, which had resumed the festivities from before her performance. Elena partially sat, partially fell onto the log in between Chance and Birman, still laughing from her own song. Birman had to place a hand on her back for fear she might have fallen over backwards. 

Jake was first to speak. "That was amazing! Where'd you learn to do that?" 

"A few decades of practice." She was still laughing a bit as she spoke. 

Chance still couldn't speak, he was completely enthralled by the amazing she-kat sitting next to him. 

Note: For anyone who recognizes the three songs mentioned in this chapter, yes I am a big fan of Mercedes Lackey, Leslie Fish, Julia Ecklar, and Heather Alexander. This is a bit of my version of a homage to their beautiful pagan music.


	6. Shields!

Suddenly someone yelled out rather loudly, and somewhat drunkenly, "SHIELDS!" A second voice, echoed the yell, then three more. Suddenly it seemed everyone was yelling the same word. Elena and Birman both laughed loudly, then Birman suddenly stood up and held his mug high. "SHIELDS!" Finally Elena did the same, her voice ringing clear and loud over the throng. Chance and Jake looked about them at the sudden commotion, clearly confused. Elena's yell had triggered a rapid response. A large area was cleared and several dozen strong soldiers were making a circle, each holding up a wooden shield on his left arm and shoulder. Everyone was cheering and yelling.

Chance looked up at Elena. "What the heck is going on?"

She laughed. "Shields!"

"What is 'Shields'?"

"A game!"

Before she could answer further, a chant went up. Just one voice at first, then a few, then a dozen. Finally the whole army was chanting. "Elena! Elena! Elena!"

Elena kneeled and slammed down her mug, spilling some of the mead onto the dirt, then made her way quickly to the center of the circle, causing the chant to ignite again with yells and cheers.

"Okay, can somebody _please_ explain what is going on here?" Chance was still quite confused, as was Jake though he remained quiet for the moment.

General Birman laughed. "Ha! It's the game of Shields A test of agility, balance and skill! Two opponents balance themselves upon the shields at opposite ends of the circle. They must mirror each others movements, each trying to outdo the other. The first to fall loses.

Jake looked back to the circle, with Elena in the center. "Huh. Sounds like a good workout."

Back in the circle, Elena's voice rang out over the din. "Who will challenge me this night? Who among you thinks they can best me?"

Now the crowd went almost silent, only soft murmuring now audible.

Jake looked around at the silence. "I take it she's that good?"

The General burst out with a deep laugh. "She's unbeatable! Even Cymric hasn't been able to defeat her, and he's good!"

The she-kat's voice rang out again. "Well? Who will challenge?"

Jake thought about it for a moment. She had to be good since no-one wanted to challenge her. Suddenly he stood up, much to Chance's surprise. "I'll challenge!"

Everything went to dead silence as everyone turned to look at the kat. Suddenly there was an explosion of cheering and laughter.

Chance stood and slapped his friend on the back. "This oughtta be good! Don't let me down, buddy!"

Jake made his way to the circle and the cheering turned to chanting again. "Razor! Razor! Razor!"

When he stepped inside the circle, he saw that two stools had been placed there. One was near him and the other was at the opposite end, where Elena now stood. "You know how this works?"

"I think so."

"Alright then, let's see what you've got!" At this Elena stepped onto the stool, then carefully up onto two shields, the soldiers holding it being very careful to balance them so she could stand with her weight even, one foot on each shield.

Jake did the same.

Everyone stood watching. Even Cymric could be seen at the edge of the throng. He was leaning against a tent pole with arms folded over his chest, a slight grin on his face as he watched.

"Ready?" Almost a hint of venom in her voice. She definitely enjoyed this "game".

"Ready!"

Elena took a step, then another, then another. At a fast walk, she carefully made her way counter-clockwise around the circle. Jake followed in the same direction, keeping his pace even with hers. It wasn't nearly as easy as he first thought. The kats holding the shields were obviously quite experienced at this, but still, it was difficult holding someone else's weight balanced on their arms and shoulders. Even for as lightly built and Jake and Elena both were. Suddenly Elena stopped dead on a single shield. Jake quickly came to a stop and almost lost his balance. He held his arms out and was leaning very far forward, almost losing his balance. He finally managed to right himself and stood straight again.

General Birman burst out laughing and turned to Chance. "Your friend's good! Very few can make that quick stop without falling flat on their faces!"

Chance couldn't help but laugh too, then yelled to Jake. "Keep it up, bud! Your doing great!"

The cheering was loud, everyone enjoying the spectacle in front of them. Some were cheering for Elena, others for Jake.

"Not bad. But that was just the warm-up!" She then moved again, at almost a run, quickly around the shields. Jake did the same, matching her pace. They made a complete circuit before Elena changed it up again. Still keeping the pace, she motioned to someone just outside the circle in front of her. As she came up to the kat, she reached down and snatched up the mug of mead he held out for her. Not slowing her pace, she upped the mug, taking several big gulps, but spilling most of it down the front of her shirt. Knowing he had to copy her, Razor looked to see that another kat was holding up a mug of mead for him. Carefully he snatched it and also gulped, but

spilled far more than she did, and again almost lost his balance, but he kept going. Everyone, even Chance, burst out laughing.

Elena then came to another sudden stop, this time balancing on two shields. Ready for it this time, Jake managed to stop without loosing his balance as badly, and recovered quickly.

"You _are_ good! But try this!" She looked along the line in front of her and pointed to a pair of soldiers about a quarter of the circle away from her. They took their shields and overlapped them, using their combined strength to make the shields a bit more stable. Jake soon saw why. Elena took off at a run. Then, about 4 shields away from her target, she jumped into the air, flipped, and landed on the pair of shields.

"Aw crud..."

Birman glanced to Chance. "It's over."

"Not yet." 'I hope.' "C'mon Jake! I know you can do something that simple!" It wasn't the maneuver he was concerned about. He knew that was nothing for his athletic friend. It was the landing that would be the tricky part.

Jake took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then looked ahead of him. Already, about a quarter of the circle away two shields had been overlapped, ready for him. He took off at a run, then lept. The jump and the flip were simple, he could do far more than that. Sure enough, it was the landing he was worried about. Everyone went silent for a brief moment when he landed. He kept his balance. There was an explosion of cheering. Elena couldn't believe it. No-one had ever succeeded in that move before. Jake looked at her and smiled. "Well? What's next?"

"I told you he could do it!" Chance yelled to Birman, who likewise was shocked.

"Unbelievable!"

Elena paused a moment, catching her breath, and thinking of what to do next. Then that dark grin appeared on her once more. "Alright." She ran, four steps, then jumped. She handspringed three times before doing a double flip, and again landing on a pair of overlapped shields, taking her almost halfway around the circle to where Jake was. He watched carefully, then copied the movement. His landing was as perfect as hers and he looked back with that same smirk. Then the smirk faded, something was wrong. Chance saw it too. "Uh oh."

There was a loud crack. The shields, after all, where made of wood. And they weren't designed for this kind of use. Jake and Elena had each made several laps around the circle, their acrobatics putting a lot of strain on the wooden shields. Too much strain. Before Jake could move onto the next shield, the one he stood on cracked, and he fell, crashing down on the kat holding it as well as those to each side. Everyone burst out laughing again.

Elena jumped down easily and walked over to him. "Not bad", she said as she held out her hand. He took her hand and she helped him up. "Not bad at all."

Everyone crowded around them, laughing, cheering, congratulating. Never before has anyone lasted so long against Elena or showed such extreme skill and agility. Jake's martial arts talents had certainly paid off, and he made a mental note to set up a similar "circle" when they get back home to keep his skills sharp.

Note: For those of you who may be wondering, yes this chapter was inspired from one of my favorite scenes from the movie "Outlander". Said movie was my original inspiration for this fan-fic.


	7. The Hidden Spring

The festivities lasted deep into the night. Finally, everyone who hadn't already passed out from too much mead, began to drift off to sleep Chance and Jake returned to their tent near the command pavilion. Jake passed out almost immediately. Chance however was still somewhat restless and couldn't get to sleep easily. After a while, he noticed a shadow move past the outside of the tent. Slowly, silently, he got up and moved to the opening, peering outside. It was Elena, moving quickly and quietly through the camp. No-one else was to be seen and she was obviously not wanting to be noticed herself in the way that she moved. Curious, Chance carefully followed after her. Jake opened one eye as his friend slipped out, gave a slight smile, then drifted back off into an even deeper sleep. 

Elena knew the forest, even in the blackness of night. She moved swiftly through the trees and the ever thickening undergrowth, hardly making a sound. It was all Chance could do to keep up without being noticed. The cliff loomed to the left and the she-kat changed her course toward it. The thick vegetation changed to mostly ferns and moss-covered boulders. A narrow crevasse cut into the cliff, leading down a slippery, moss-covered slope. Chance was forced to put even more distance between himself and Elena to prevent her from noticing she was being followed. At length, Chance could hear a soft gurgling sound, like bubbling water. A creek perhaps? As he rounded a large boulder he froze and stared down at the sight before him with amazement. Hidden deep in the crevasse of the cliff was a small spring. And from the steam and lush plantlife, it was obviously a hot spring. The nearly full moon shone directly down, illuminating the small area. But it wasn't the spring that was the most surprising part. He kneeled down behind the boulder and watched as Elena, standing at the sandy shore of the spring, removed the majority of her clothing, and placed them on a rock, with the talisman on top of the pile. Then, now wearing next to nothing, she carefully stepped into the water and waded out into it's center. 

'Wow... she _is_ beautiful!' He also noticed something else. On her right arm, going from the shoulder down to her elbow, was a tattoo. It appeared to be a dragon, it's tail wrapped about her arm, with insect-like wings. 'Dragonfly...' He remembered that she had told him it was her call-sign. Chance couldn't help himself, he had to get a closer look. Carefully, he climbed down the narrow path toward the spring, doing his best to remain hidden in the dark shadows. All of a sudden a damp rock beneath his paw gave way and he slipped, tumbling down the path and crashing through a few bushes near the edge of the spring. Knowing she couldn't possibly have missed that, and expecting her to be _quite_ angry, he swiftly got up and moved to hide behind the last bush that he had just crashed through. Looking back toward the spring, he saw no sign of Elena. "What the...?" 

Suddenly, something hit him from behind, throwing him forward. Instinctively he turned, narrowly avoiding another hit. In the darkness of the underbrush, he could barely see anything. He grappled with his shadowed opponent, and would almost have sworn he was fighting Jake, so agile and athletic the shadowed form was. Just when he thought he might have the upper hand, something hit his legs and knocked him off his paws. Before he could move, the feel of cold steel touched his throat. A blade, the tip of a spear, rested against his neck, held by the shadowed figure. 

"Chance?" It was Elena's voice. The shadow blurred, and her face materialized from the darkness. 

"Ummm... yes?" 

"What are...? How did you...? What are you doing here?" 

"Uh, well, I saw a shadow pass by my tent and though it was kinda strange for the leader of an army to be sneaking out of camp after everyone else was asleep." It was mostly true. 

"So, you followed me?" 

"Well... yes." 

She shook her head, clearly confused about something. Chance's heart was pounding. From the adrenaline rush of the scuffle, from the sharp blade against his neck, and from the fact that the beautiful she-kat was still standing over him. But he couldn't understand why it was only her head he could see, the rest of her was completely dark as if she were made of shadows. 

"Umm... would you mind letting me up?" 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry." She stepped back, lifting the spear out of the way. There was another shimmer, and then her whole body appeared from the shadows. She was clad in a black body-suit, only her head, hands, paws, and tail exposed. 

'How did she possibly put that on that fast?' 

Elena reached out her free hand to help him up. 

"How did you follow me without my noticing? I mean, the talisman always warns me if anyone comes into this alcove. Or for that matter, if I'm followed at all. But it didn't? Not with you? I don't understand..." 

He shrugged. "No clue. Don't know much about magic. All I know is that pendant of yours seems to choose who it wants to help." He couldn't help a smile. "Maybe it didn't want you to know I was following you." 

"Uh huh. Well then..." Turning, she calmly walked back towards the water, dropping the spear, which disintegrated into a black mist, then vanished, before ever touching the ground. More magic. 

"Hey, umm... what's with the ninja suit?" 

She looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "It's a Shadow Cloak." She reached to her chest, as if she were unfastening something, then made the motion of tossing a cloak from her shoulders. The black suit lifted away from her body, changing into a single piece of black cloth, then turned into mist and vanished in the same way that the spear did. Again she was clad only in a black thong and black "top" that was little more than a strap of silk around her chest with a silver fastener at the front. Chance just starred. He didn't know what to think or say. 

Elena stepped back into the water and waded out until the water was up to her neck. She then turned back to Chance and smiled. "Well, are you going to join me? Or just stand there and stare?" 

"Huh?" At first he didn't think she was serious. But then decided 'What the Hell...' He took a step towards the water, then stopped. "How deep is it?" 

Elena noticed a touch of concern in his voice at the question. "Not too deep, only about eight feet in one area. You can touch bottom in most of it." She paused a moment. "You... can't swim?" 

He sighed. "Not exactly. I only did once, but I really wasn't even thinking about what I was doing. My partner's life was on the line." 

A slight smirk. "Don't worry. Like I said, it's not too deep. And if anything happens, I'm an excellent swimmer." She gave a slight playful smile at the last remark. 

Another moment's pause, then he gave up and stripped down to his boxers. Stepping forward, he hesitated at the water's edge. Then, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he stepped in, finding it was pleasantly warm. He continued into the pool, wading out until the water was up to his chest. 

"You see?" 

"So how often do you come here?" 

"At least once a week. These waters have a power in them. They can heal both the body and mind." 

"Nice." He didn't care for magic, but there was certainly some truth to her story about the spring. Despite the long days of working to repair the Turbokat, he was already starting to feel the soreness and tension in his muscles melt away just from being in the warm water. He even felt calmer, more relaxed, but he attributed that simply to Elena's presence. He noticed that he always felt a bit calmer when he was around her. "How did you find this place, anyway?" 

"The talisman led me here. One evening, on a full moon, I felt it's power pulling at me. I followed the pull and it guided me here." 

"I see. So... tomorrow night... Once we defeat this Shade Kat, do you really think you can send Jake and me home? Back to our own world?" 

She nodded, a bit solemnly. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Tomorrow..." She hesitated a moment. "This is a war, and hopefully the final battle of it. There is a strong chance I might not survive. That most of my people won't" 

"I'd rather nothing happen to you, though. Jake and I will do our best to help and to make sure causalities stay as small as possible." 

"I thank you. Though, if anything does happen to me, give the talismans to my sorcerer, Mau. He should be able to use them to send the two of you back home to your world." 

"So, we've got a back-up plan. But I'd still rather nothing happen to _you_." 

She gave him a soft smile. Then something flashed in her emerald eyes, and the smile became a dark grin. He'd seen it earlier, during the game of shields, and knew she was plotting something. All of a sudden, she dove, her body twisting at the surface then vanishing into the dark waters. Her paws came up last and she brought them down hard, sending a splash of water straight at Chance. He shook his head, shaking the water from his hair and fur. She surfaced a short distance to his left and giggled. 

"Oh yeah?" He shoved both hands forward, sending a large wave pouring over her. Elena gasped and turned her head just as the wave hit her, not having enough time to dive down out of the way. Shaking the water away from her eyes and off her bangs, she gave him a dark, but playful grin, her ears laid back. The water fight was on. Then, what started as splashing turned into a full blown water wrestling match. Chance however, unused to being mostly submerged in water, was at a complete disadvantage. The water's friction slowed him down considerably, while Elena could move with the speed and grace of a dolphin. At one point she swung a leg under him while at the same time jumping on his shoulders. Chance went under and she held him there for about four seconds before letting him up again and quickly moving several feet away, out of his range. He came up coughing hard, spitting out water. He appeared to have swallowed quite a bit. Elena was suddenly concerned. She moved closer. Too close.

"Chance? Are you okay?" 

He cut his eyes narrowly at her. "Yep!" He lunged forward before she could get back out of range, and grabbed her, spinning her around and pinning her to him. "Gotcha!" 

She struggled for a moment then they both burst into laughter. He released his grip and she turned around to face him. Their laughter stopped as their eyes met. Both kats stood there silent and still for several moments, then Chance gently leaned forward and kissed her softly. He expected a hard slap, but was pleasantly surprised to find his kiss returned. She leaned into him and the kiss became deeper, more passionate. Chance then realized that she seemed to want him, as much as he wanted her. Nearby, resting atop Elena's pile of clothes, the talisman glowed faintly with a soft warm light...

-

For those of you who might be interested, sketches of Elena may be found here:  
full body - .?fbid=172431212800988&set=a.172431159467660.39323.100001023321153  
more detailed head shot - .?fbid=172431336134309&set=a.172431159467660.39323.100001023321153


	8. Preparations

The night's shadows were just beginning to give way to the first hints of the coming dawn. Elena and Chance made their way back through camp to their own tents. Both should have been exhausted and sore, Chance had expected it. Yet the spring's healing waters had left them both feeling refreshed. 

Chance was relieved to see Jake still passed out. He laid down on his own cot and was soon sound asleep. 

Upon entering her own tent, Elena wasn't ready to sleep just yet. She still had too much to do. She lit the candle on her table and unrolled a large scroll. It was a map of Shade Kat's citadel and the surrounding land. It took her and Cymric several years, and many lost companions, to scout the area well enough to make the detailed map. She studied it for nearly half an hour before her sight began to blur. Finally she gave up, rolled the map back up, blew out the candle, and laid down for a short sleep. The first rays of the red sun were just beginning to appear over the horizon. 

Due to the festivities of the long night before, the kats in the large encampment slept well into the late morning. Only Cymric and his rangers were up early, patrolling the outskirts as they always did. 

The front flap of Elena's tent was pushed aside as a silent figure stepped inside. Blade in hand, the figure carefully moved across the tent towards the sleeping she-kat. The talisman around her neck glowed suddenly and Elena's hand whipped up from where it hung limp off the side of her cot. The sword, which had been laying on the ground just below her, now pointed straight at the intruder's throat. 

Cymric smiled and calmly resheathed his dagger. "Just making sure." 

"Making sure of what?" She set the sword back down and sat up slowly, still groggy. 

"That you still could tell when someone was sneaking up on you." 

"Why would you have to make sure of that?" She narrowed her eyes at the ranger, her friend for more than ten years. He had a knowing smile on his tawny-furred face.  
"I just found it strange that you didn't seem to notice you were being followed last night when you left." 

She knew that he knew that she often sneaked out late at night, though she wasn't sure if he knew where or why. She never saw him last night though, but that wasn't unusual. He could hide in the shadows nearly as well as she could, and without the aid of magic. 

"What is it you think you know, Cymric?" 

"I simply find it ironic that you've kept a shield around your heart for all these decades that you've been here. And that it took someone from another world, like you, to make you take down that shield." 

She glared at her friend, but while her eyes stayed cold, her smile betrayed her amusement. She could never be mad at him. 

"Don't worry, Elena. You know I'd never say anything." 

"I know. Thank you, Cymric." 

Elena placed a hand quickly over her mouth as she tried to stifle a yawn. Stretching, she stood and walked back to the table. Pulling out the map, she opened it again and placed it back upon the table. "What news of Shade Kat?" 

"He knows something's up. He's positioned a massive encampment of koblins around the castle." The ranger pointed to the map, showing the positions of the enemy. "There must be hundreds of them. Perhaps even thousands. We're greatly outnumbered." 

"Great... Well, our whole plan relies on getting inside that castle." She pointed with a claw to the back wall. "What about that entrance here? Where the SWAT Kats got me out?" 

"I don't know. It doesn't appear any different, but..." 

"Appearances can be deceiving." She finished his sentence. "Yes, I'm sure he's found it by now. He'll probably be expecting us to try it." 

"I can lead a group of my rangers and try..." 

"No! I'll not risk lives on a possible trap. No, I want you and your rangers to hold back, here." She pointed to the forest to the north. "Birman and I will lead the initial attack, with my calvary waiting here. We'll cut a path as best we can through the koblins." 

"That's risky. Especially with kats manning the artillery on the walls, here, here, and here." 

"How many wyverns are there?" 

"At least six. Maybe more." 

"Hopefully the SWAT Kats can keep them busy and out of our way. I'm counting on it. But if they can so something about these ballistas and cattapults, that'll increase our chances greatly. When I give the signal, try to get in over the walls, here. By then, the majority of Shade Kat's army will be too busy to notice you, and too far to do anything. You've _got_ to get those gates open. Once you do, I'll signal the cavalry. They'll charge through the path we've cleared straight into the gate and into the castle." 

"Even if we get them in, we still have to get _you_ to Shade Kat." 

"I know. And I have an idea about how to do that." 

She rolled up the map again and walked back to her cot. Untying her wrap skirt, she buckled a heavy belt about her waist in it's place, her sword attached at her left hip. The belt had several other items attached to it as well: pouches, daggers, and various other tools and equipment. Taking up the map again she left the tent, Cymric following behind her. 

A half hour later, Elena and Cymric repeated their plan in the command tent to Mau, Birman, Chance and Jake. Making their own suggestions, refining the plan, the group finally concluded a definite method of attack, and a way to get Elena inside. It was now mid-afternoon: time to begin preparations for the battle. At sunset, the army would march. 

Evening was drawing near, only a few more hours. Elena had spent the time with Cymric and his rangers, going over the use of her "bolt guns". With a design similar to a cross between a crossbow gun and a pistol, the guns could fire up to eight small arrows, or bolts, in succession. Back in her tent, Elena unbuckled the sword from her belt and laid it, still sheathed, onto the table beside her cot. Though she herself had forged it, it wasn't any different from the rest of the swords her soldiers used. She knew she needed something better, stronger, to defeat Shade Kat. Dropping to her knees, she gently pulled a bundle of cloth from underneath the cot, setting it then on top of it. Slowly, she unwrapped the finest weapon she had ever crafted. The sword's blade was long and thin, but the steel had been folded more times than even she had thought could have been possible. Gently, she unsheathed the blade, seeing her own reflection in the polished metal. She balanced it on one finger. The balance was perfect, and it was so light, that she barely felt the weight. Returning the sword to it's sheath, she then buckled it to her belt in place of her old sword. Turning, she walked back outside, heading towards the smithy, and the path behind it that led up the cliff to her training area. 

Once there, the warrioress unsheathed the blade once again and began her 'dance.' The sword made no sound as it slashed through the air. It's speed was increadable. She was able to maneuver with it more ease and precision than any other weapon she had ever used. Her practice took nearly ten minutes, a realitively short time to her. At length, she lept into the air, flipping twice and landing several yards away, bringing the sword down onto a small boulder. The rock split as easily as a melon, a loud ringing sound emitting from the collision of steel on stone. Looking back at the sword, Elena ran two fingers gently down it's edge. "Not even a mark." Satisfied, she sheathed the blade and returned back down the cliff to the camp. 

She found Chance and Jake, or rather, T-Bone and Razor, getting the Turbokat ready for action. Razor was running a final system's check while T-Bone was talking with Cymric and Birman. 

"It's almost time." 

The four turned their attention to Elena as she spoke. Birman nodded to her. "We are ready, m'Lady." 

"Good. The infantry will move out presently. The calvary and rangers will follow soon after." She looked up to the moon. The red sun was still setting, but the moon, bright and full, already hung low in the darkening sky. "The eclipse should begin near our arrival. SWAT Kats, I want you to keep Shade Kat's forces occupied to the southeast as we march. Buy us as much time as you can. Don't worry about engaging, just keep them busy." 

T-Bone smiled, he couldn't wait to finally get some real action in the jet again. "No problem." 

"Oh, Elena, here. I finally got it working." Razor, standing up in the cockpit, tossed down a small communicator to Elena. 

She caught it easily. "Thanks. Be careful, you two." 

"You too, beautiful." T-Bone smiled to her. 

She smiled back, then took a step forward and kissed him gently, which he returned. 

Razor's jaw dropped, as did Birman's. Cymric shook his head with a slight chuckle, not at all surprised. 

Elena then turned and walked back into the camp, towards the cavalry and her own warhorse. Razor and Birman stared after her for a moment, then turned their surprised looks to T-Bone, who simply shrugged and jumped up into the jet. 

Birman turned to Cymric as they also turned and left, back into the camp. "You knew?" 

The ranger smiled. "You didn't?" 

"I try to stay out of her personal business." 

"Please! You've known her since you were born. I know you're as close to her as if she were your own sister." 

"And you're her best friend. But I still don't see how you noticed when... oh nevermind. I don't know how you know even a quarter of what you do!" 

"I'm a ranger. It comes with the territory. Besides, you know how independent Elena is. I make it my job to watch her back even when she doesn't want anyone to do so." 

"True. For which I'm grateful. Stay safe, Captain." 

"And you, General." 

They split up. Birman headed towards where the infantry, the vast majority of the army, was preparing to march. Cymric broke into a slow run to rejoin his rangers. 

Back at the jet, T-Bone fired up the engines as the canopy closed. Razor just had to ask. "Okay, exactly where _did_ you go last night?" 

"Heh. None of your business, buddy." 

"Away from camp?" 

"Yes. And your not getting any more answers, so stop asking."

The thrusters kicked on and the Turbokat rose up onto the air above the trees. T-Bone then put the two main engines into half power, saving the third for when they would really need it. They sped off to the east, towards Shade Kat's citadel. Below them, the army moved out quickly into the darkness of the forest below.


	9. The Battle Begins

The army made good time. The full moon was high in the night sky when they neared the citadel. It was now near midnight, and the eclipse would begin soon. They had about another hour and should arrive just in time to begin their attack just as the eclipse was due to begin. 

The Turbokat kept a constant patrol over the approaching army, keeping watch for Wyverns. They would begin the diversion just as the army was getting into position.  
A slight red glow to the left caught T-Bone's attention. "What the heck? That's a strange-looking bird." 

Razor looked up from his radar monitor and over at the bird. "That _is_ weird." He clicked on the radio communicator. "Hey Elena, you got any birds in this world with glowing red eyes?" 

There was a pause, then her voice came over the radio. "Red eyes? Please tell me that's not a red-colored eagle!" 

"Yeah, it is." 

"_Shoot it down_!" 

"What?" 

"It's a Spirit Bird! That's Shade Kat! He sees everything that bird sees!" 

T-Bone quickly turned the jet, trying to line it up with the eagle, but the bird was far too fast and agile, not too mention far too small. "How the heck are we supposed to shoot down a bird?" 

"Try!" 

They did. Everytime T-Bone managed to get the bird where Razor could take aim, it dodged easily away. No normal bird could possibly have been so fast.  
"Missiles are no good. Switching to laser guns!" 

"Roger that. Hang on!" He turned the jet sharply, putting extra distance between them and the eagle, then turned back to line it up better. "Now!" 

Razor fired. There was no way to get a lock onto it, and the bird easily dodged away from the laser fire. It spun in a tight loop, flying back over the jet, very close to them. T-Bone pulled the jet up sharply, trying to simply crash the bird. It still evaded. "Elena! We can't get it!" 

"I'm coming!" 

"You're what?" 

There was no answer. A few moments later, a loud screech cut through the night air. Another bird, this one a large silver-gray owl with glowing blue eyes, was flying towards them from the forest below. _Fast_. The eagle screamed in response, then turned towards the owl, talons extended. The two large birds collided in mid-air, screeching and clawing. T-Bone and Razor could only watch the two birds battle, red and silver feathers falling away in all directions. The birds broke apart, then came at each other again, still biting and clawing fiercely. 

"Razor, can you get a lock on it now?" 

"Taking aim..." He tried to lock on, but the birds continued to fight. "No good. I can't get one without hitting the other." 

"Maybe I can." He aimed the jet straight at the birds. "Elena! When I tell you to, break away!" He could only assume that the she was somehow controlling the owl. It took only a matter of seconds for the jet to close the distance. "Now!" 

The owl jerked it's talons and beat it's wings hard, pushing itself away from the eagle, while at the same time throwing the other bird towards the Turbokat. The timing was perfect and the eagle was pulled straight into the right engine's intakes. There was a loud screech, which seemed to change into a kat-like scream, then nothing. A large explosion burst through the other end of the intake, shaking the jet. "Woah! What the heck was that?" 

The owl shimmered, then turned into a small ball of silver light that shot back down into the forest below. A moment later Elena's voice came back over the radio. "'Should have warned you about that. Spirit Birds tend to explode when they're 'killed'. It's magical energy though, and so shouldn't have done any real damage to the Turbokat. I took a quick look at your engines before recalling my bird and they look fine." 

"Glad to hear that." 

"Hey, did you actually turn yourself into a bird? Razor was quite intrigued by the possibility of the spell. 

"Physically, no. But that was my spirit you saw. I literally send my spirit out of my body and it becomes a bird. So that eagle really was Shade Kat. And the problem is, now he not only knows we're coming, but also what your jet is capable of." 

"Correction, he knows _some_ of what our jet is capable of. But we've still got a few surprises in store for him, right Razor?" 

"Affirmative." 

T-Bone changed course, and resumed the patrol. It wouldn't be much longer. 

The radio crackled and they heard Elena's voice again. "Alright, we're getting into position now. Go for it!" 

"Just what I was waiting for..." T-Bone increased power to the engines. They flared up and the jet shot forward, straight towards the citadel. 

"I'm sending you some help. We got conformation of at least nine wyverns." 

"What kind of help? 

"Stalker Bats." 

"'Stalker Bats'? What the heck are those?" 

"You'll see. Be careful." 

Razor chuckled. "'Careful' isn't exactly in his vocabulary". 

"Hey!" T-Bone shot a look back over his shoulder at his partner. Over the radio they could hear Elena laughing softly. 

The citadel soon came into range. And sure enough, eight large shapes began to fly up from it's towers, coming straight at them. 

"Here we go!" 

"Ready! Keep an eye out for the last one!" Razor lowered his visor with it's built in targetry imaging. He took aim as they approached. 

T-Bone pushed all three engines up to maximum and they shot through the line of wyverns. Razor fired 4 octopus missiles. Three hit their marks dead-on, pinning the wyvern's wings. The fourth didn't hit the wing or body, as the wyvern turned just in time, but instead hit it on the tail. The wyvern screemed and thrashed about in mid-air, trying to dislodge it. In it's fury, it ended up slashing another wyvern with it's barbed tail. The injured wyvern turned on it's attacker. 

"Nice shot! Three down and two fighting each other!" He brought the jet around, making a loop around the castle, and flew back towards the wyverns. This time however, Razor didn't fire. At the last moment the jet turned, heading southeast. The three remaining wyverns gave chase. The two that were fighting ended up bringing each other down. 

The night was clear, and the full moon gave them plenty of light, at least for the time being. But that didn't help the fact that six more of the massive creatures had been hiding in the dark forest below. They now winged their way towards them from various directions. "Uh oh. Slight problem." 

"Yeah, and we're out of octopus missiles. I don't think we can take them all down." 

"Right. But the point was simply to distract them. So..." 

The wyverns had them seriously outnumbered, but this time T-Bone was ready for them, and knew what they were capable of. The wyverns constantly attacked, but were never able to do any damage to the jet. He kept them flying in circles with so many twists and turns that another pair collided into each other and fell out of the sky. The entire time he continued leading away from the castle. 

"T-Bone! Look!" To the north, they could see the moon. It was already almost half gone. But that wasn't what Razor was pointing at. Nearly two dozen black shapes were flying swiftly towards them from the west. From a distance, they looked like bats, but they were large. "Those wings must be at least ten feet across!"  
"Think those are the Stalker Bats that Elena was talking about?" 

"I would guess so." 

The bats were amazingly fast and agile, more-so than the larger wyverns. They swarmed around them, screeching, biting, slashing with sharp claws, and attacking with their long tails, which were covered with numerous needle-like spines. Razor was taking aim at one of the distracted wyverns and was about to fire when they heard Elena's voice on the radio. 

"Razor! T-Bone! Where are you?" 

T-Bone answered her. "We're about forty miles south-southeast. What's wrong?" He could tell by her voice that something indeed was wrong. They could hear the sounds of battle in the back ground, and it sounded as if she was fully engaged in combat at the time as well. 

"Have my bats found you yet?" 

"Yes. These things are.." 

"Good! Let them handle the wyverns. We need your help! Now!" 

"We're on our way!" 

Razor fired his missile, the tarpedo hitting it's target and exploding in a blast of sticky black goo. The wyvern dropped like a stone. T-Bone turned the Turbokat and flew quickly back towards the castle. 

Elena sat on her stallion, eyes closed, unmoving. Her talisman glowed brightly. Physically, she was still at the head of her army, waiting in the shadows of the trees not far from the castle. Spiritually, she was about a half mile away. Her silver owl sat perched at the top of a large tree. She watched through it's glowing blue eyes as the Turbokat engaged the first group of wyverns, successfully taking down five of them in the first pass. 'Incredible! They _are_ good!' She remained in the tree, unmoving, as they led the wyverns away to the south and east. In the distance she could see six more of them coming up out of the forest after them. 'Oh no. We greatly misjudged the numbers!' 

Her owl blinked, then looked up to the moon. She could feel the power of the talisman growing. Sure enough, the moon was just beginning to wane. The eclipse had begun! The owl spread her large wings and flew silently back through the trees. When it returned, it shimmered and became a silver mist, which flew back into Elena, awakening her from the trance. Mau was on her right side, sitting atop his gray mare. General Birman was to her left. 

"Well?" The sorcerer looked at her with concern. 

"They took down several of the wyverns, but there's far more than we thought. They're leading them south now. I'm going to send the bats to help them." 

Mau nodded, then watched in silence as Elena took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. Once again, the talisman glowed with a bright silvery light. 

In her mind, Elena sent out the call. 'Come, my friends! The time has come! We need your help this night to stop the one who seeks to claim out lands! Fly my brothers and sisters of the Moon! Fly to our aid!' 

No kat heard her call, yet in the forest around them sudden screeches, and the sound of numerous sets of large, leathery wings, could be heard. The giant bats took flight toward the south after the wyverns. 

Elena opened her eyes. "It's time!" 

Birman raised his sword. An evenly spaced line of lesser officers did the same on both sides. The infantry prepared. He then pointed his sword forward, and the army charged. Nearly a thousand armored kats wielding swords and maces burst through the tree-line towards the koblin encampment, and the castle beyond it. The koblins were ready for them. They held their ground, letting the kats come to them. The two armies clashed, with Elena, Birman and Mau leading the charge on their horses.

Elena's powerful sword cut down several koblins in the first few seconds of the onslaught. But it wasn't nearly enough. The koblins had them outnumbered five to one.  
To make matters worse, by waiting for the kats to come to them, the koblins had brought Elena's army directly into range on the castle's artillery. The talisman glowed, and Elena looked up just in time to see the stars blotted from the sky. "Shields!" She grabbed the talisman with her free hand, bringing a silver glow over herself and her horse. Mau threw up his hands, and the same glow covered him and his mount. The rest of the army lifted their battle shields just as the hail of arrows came down. Kat and koblin alike were trapped in the volley. But the koblins kept coming, climbing over the bodies of the fallen to attack their targets in a relentless wave. 

Elena's stallion was a trained warhorse, and he lashed out with all four hooves at the attacking koblins while Elena hacked and slashed with her sword from his back. Mau attacked with spells of darkness, electricity, and ice. He may not be a physical fighter, but he was a very skilled battle-mage. As the moon continued to wane under the shadow of the eclipse, Elena and Mau could feel their powers getting stronger. It began to appear as if they had the upper hand. Then the tide of battle changed. 

A bright flash of red light lit the trees behind them. A creature, larger than a Stalker Bat, but smaller than a wyvern, flew through the air at the rear of the army. It's body glowed with an unnatural red light. The beast then released a stream of fire from it's jaws, igniting the trees and grasses in a wall of flames. The army was cut off from possible retreat, and from the cavalry. 

Worse, they were now trapped in perfect range for the castle's artillery. Another volley of arrows pelted the battle-field, followed by massive stones thrown by the cattapults. The glowing beast flew around again, breathing another jet of flame, right into the heart of Elena's infantry. Fighting off koblins with her sword hand, she pulled out the communicator with the other.

"Razor! T-Bone! Where are you?"


	10. Seige of the Castle

T-Bone watched the strange glowing 'dragon' as they approached. It hadn't seemed to have noticed their arrival yet and was attacking Elena's army from above with it's fiery breath. "Y'know, they have _way_ too many strange flying critters in this world!" 

"Yeah, and _that_ one's going to be a serious problem!" 

The jet banked right, then angled downwards. Razor lined up the glowing beast. "Got him in my sights!" 

"Make sure you get him, Sure-Shot. If you miss, Elena's troops will pay for it!" 

All of a sudden, the beast looked up straight at them. It flapped it's wings and rose high into the air, flying straight toward the Turbokat. 

Razor fired. The pair of missiles flew straight at their target, but the creature released a powerful jet of flame, exploding the missiles before they could hit it. T-Bone turned hard to avoid the explosion while the creature flew right through the flames. 

Elena's voice came back over the radio. "That's a firedrake! Their body's burn with extreme heat. They can burn or melt almost anything! Don't let it get too close!" 

"Well let's see what it can do against this." Razor hit a button and hatch opened, extending out the cement machine gun. He rotated it so that it would shoot behind them. "Keep her steady!" 

"Trying!" The drake was close on their tail, shooting blasts of intense flame. "We're gonna have to close the heat shield!" Hitting a switch, the thick metal plating closed over the canopy, protecting them from the heat and flames.

Using the dimensional radar, Razor took aim at the creature behind them. "Locked! Firing!" 

The gun shot numerous blasts of liquid cement in rapid succession. Most hit the drake full on. The drake's heat, usually it's greatest weapon, now turned into it's downfall as it caused the cement to instantly dry on impact, trapping it. The drake fell and smashed onto the ground. The SWAT Kats were thankful that they had led it far enough away from the army before shooting, as it exploded on impact into a large fireball, throwing chunks of cement in every direction. 

The heat shield retracted back and they looked down at the smoking crater below. "Woah. Yeah, definitely way too many flying baddies here." 

Elsewhere, Elena's sword dispatched another pair of koblins. The sword's silver blade now dripped black with the blood of uncountable opponents. Yet still the army was outnumbered. Many of her soldiers had fallen. Mau was some distance off, having been pulled from his horse and now was fighting from the ground with his magic. She only knew where the was by the bursts of magical energy. She had lost track of Birman. 

It was difficult to see much now, as the moon was nearly gone, only a sliver of silver light which was beginning to turn red as the eclipse neared it's apex. They had to get those gates open, soon! A large fiery explosion caught her attention and she looked into the distance to see the Turbokat flying away from it, silhouetted by the light of the flames. She knew they had destroyed the firedrake. The talisman then glowed fiercely and bade her look up towards the castle walls. "Scatter!" She kicked her horse and the stallion plunged through the mass of koblins, getting out of the way as a massive boulder smashed into the ground and shattered in the spot where she had been only moments before. Kats and koblins both were crushed beneath it's impact. 

"Razor!" 

"I saw it! We've got to take out those cattapults!" 

"Right!" Turning again, he now aimed the jet straight for the castle. Razor switched from the machine gun back to missile targeting. As they passed by the front walls of the castle, Razor fired. Four missiles in succession hit the top of the walls about twenty feet apart. Large chunks of stone exploded out from the impacts, and the cattapults and bastillas were blown to pieces. T-Bone brought the jet around to the opposite side of the massive iron gates and wooden drawbridge. Again Razor fired, and again four missiles exploded the artillery on the walls. 

This certainly didn't go unnoticed by Elena and her army. "Nice going!" 

The explosions gave just the opportunity Elena and Cymric were waiting for. Elena placed her free hand around the talisman and again sent a mental call. This time to Cymric, telling him to proceed. Cymric silently motioned to his rangers and they quickly moved forward. Their dark cloaks combined with their own skills of stealth kept them hidden in the increasing darkness. They threw their grappling hooks, every one catching hold of the wall above. Carefully, the rangers scaled the stone walls of the northern end of the castle. With the battle raging and explosions to the southwest, the northern wall had been almost abandoned. Only a few guards remained on the walls but were quickly and quietly dispatched with the bolt guns. The rangers spread out, some going along the tops of the walls, others down towards the large courtyard below, and still others into the castle itself. 

Cymric and three others made their way quickly along the base of the inner wall towards the main gates. It would have been easy enough for the SWAT Kats to blow up the gates, but that still left the problem of the deadly moat. The drawbridge had to be let down if there was any chance of success to be had. 

"Sir! Watch out!" One of the rangers threw himself forward into Cymric, throwing him forward. An instant later a small fireball exploded Where they had just been. The other two rangers didn't get out of the way in time. 

"Thanks, Jirron." The two took aim with their bolt guns in the direction the fireball came from. A mage in red robes stood some fifteen yards away. His right hand was glowing red as he prepared another fireball. The rangers fired but the sorcerer threw his spell then dodged. They jumped out of the way just in time. 

Jirron yelled to his Captain. "Get out of here, Sir! I'll take care of this guy!" 

Cymric didn't want to leave his friend to the sorcerer, but he knew that the entire battle now rested on his getting that drawbridge down. 

"Good luck, Jirron." 

"I'll see you in the next life, Captain." 

Jirron dropped to one knee and fired two more bolts at the battle-mage, one hitting him in the chest, but not before a final fireball was thrown. 

Cymric took off running towards the main gates. A small group of koblins, attracted from the sound of the fireballs, came quickly at him. He drew his sword and fought his way through. Cymric was a skilled fighter as well as woodsman and he knew Elena had full trust in his skills for sending him on this mission. 

He reached the gates and part ran, part jumped, up the stairs leading to the guard tower above. Most of the upper section of the wall had been destroyed on both sides of the gates by the SWAT Kats' missiles. Cymric threw himself at the heavy wooden doors of the guard tower. His shoulder smashed into the door, throwing it open. He landed on the ground and rolled, coming up fast with the bolt gun in hand, searching for any koblin what might be waiting for him. There were none in sight. He listened, and heard nothing, save for the battle outside. 

Getting up, he sheathed his sword and ran to the massive set of wooden spokes that held the bridge and portcullis. He pulled the lever on the first one, releasing the lock that prevented it from moving. Holstering the gun, he pushed his full weight against the wheel, slowly turning it. The portcullis began to lift. He turned it several times, until the portcullis was high enough to allow the cavalry riders to enter underneath it. Pushing the lever back in to secure it, he then moved to the second wheel.  
A movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. The ranger turned and drew his gun, but not fast enough. The heavy crossbow bolt pierced his leather armor, into the lower left side of his chest. The force of the impact threw the ranger back several feet, his back hitting the wall behind him. "Not... that easy!" He fired the bolt gun, it's final arrow hitting it's mark in his opponent's throat. The koblin fell forward, dead before it even hit the ground. 

Coughing, Cymric spat out a gob of blood. His left lung had been pierced. He could see more koblins coming. He could fight, but there was a chance he would loose. The ranger did the only thing he could. He turned, his back to the oncoming koblins, and pulled on the lever to the second wheel. Three more crossbow bolts pierced his back, but the lever gave way. Cymric slumped to the ground. The wheel turned quickly, the drawbridge was on a counter-weight. The heavy wooden bridge fell, landing with a loud slam on the gravel path on the opposite side of the moat. 

The loud sound of the drawbridge falling turned Elena's attention sharply to the main gate. "He did it!" Kicking her horse, she rode hard back toward the tree-line. About half-way there, away from the battle, but still close enough her cavalry would see her signal, the black stallion skidded to a sliding stop. The stallion then reared and Elena raised her sword high. The talisman glowed, and the glow moved to the sword. It shone brightly through the black night, a beacon in the darkness. Above, the moon was now a deep red color, a red that was fading into pure shadow. 

The cavalry riders saw the light. The commander raised his sword and yelled. "CHARGE!" Two hundred heavy horses thundered out of the trees and across the open land towards the now open gates. Most of the riders were armed with swords, but some carried spears. The spears were held up, Elena's standard flying from the tops of their shafts. The silver hawk soaring in front of the crescent moon. 

Elena turned her horse around as the riders approached her, and took up position on the far left side of the charge. In a heavy line five horses wide, they plowed through the now confused koblin army, cutting a bloody path of bodies trampled under the thundering hooves, straight towards the gates. The head of the cavalry crossed the bridge, the sound of the hooves pounding on the heavy wood echoed like thunder. 

The warrioress then turned her stallion and kicked him into a full gallop, faster than even the charge of the cavalry horses. The black stallion tore a new path through the koblins and away from the battle once again, then turned and ran parallel to the rear lines. She sheathed her sword, the spell that had caused it to glow having also cleaned if of the black koblin blood. She pulled out the communicator once again. "T-Bone! It's time!" Carefully Elena hopped up off the stallion's back and brought her paws underneath her. With all the balance and skill of an expert trick-rider, she stood up on the horse' back as he continued on at a dead run.  
T-Bone brought the Turbokat low over the battlefield, slowing it's speed down as he did so. The pick-up rope, with it's looped end, was lowered from the hatch under the jet. He lined it up with Elena as she rode. 

When the jet flew over her, Elena jumped off her horse and grabbed the rope, placing one paw onto the loop for balance, and was pulled back up into the jet through the hatch. T-Bone increased the power again and shot back up into the air well above the battle.  
Elena checked the bolt gun at her hip, making sure it wouldn't fall out of the holster during what she was about to do, yet could still be quickly drawn and used once inside the citadel. 

"You sure about this?" T-Bone made a loop around the castle, making sure of which tower they were supposed to aim at. 

"Yes. If you can get me inside that tower, I can take care of the rest. It's time to finish this, once and for all." 

Razor glanced back at her. "Well, if T-Bone lines the just up just right, I'm pretty sure it'll work." 

"Oh great. Looks like that might be a little easier said than done. Look!" 

Elena and Razor both looked to the south where a group of winged creatures were making their way swiftly towards them. 

"Oh no. The wyverns. How many?" 

Razor checked his monitor. "Four. And we're almost out of missiles" 

"Perfect. More big flying lizards, and almost no missiles left. Déjà vu, anyone?" 

"Well, we could always try attaching a sword to the end of the last one." Razor chuckled a bit. 

"I don't think that's going to work this time, buddy." 

Elena looked at them curiously as she got herself prepared. "What are you two talking about?" 

"Long story. Maybe later." 

"Right."


	11. Final Confrontation

The interior of the castle now broke into vicious fighting. The Koblin army was outside, but inside was an enemy army of kats loyal to Shade Kat. The battle was fierce as the cavalry both battled skilled warriors and battle mages. There was still no sign of the evil sorcerer. Elena, however, knew _exactly _where he was. And how to find him.

Decreasing the speed slightly, T-Bone angled the Turbokat and flew in a direct course towards one of the largest towers. They only had one chance for the gambit to work. If _anything _went wrong, Elena would be killed. That was something he would _not _allow to happen. 

"You ready?" There was a hint of concern in his voice, though he tried to hide it. 

"Yes." 

Razor, his visor down, was locking onto one of the windows directly in front of them. "Good luck, Miss Kougré." 

She smiled. "It's 'Elena'." 

The four wyverns were closing fast. There was no sign of the stalker bats. 

"Here we go!" T-Bone flew the jet straight and steady. 

Razor watched the numbers on the bottom corner of his targeting screen rapidly decrease as they closed the distance. "NOW!" 

The largest hatch below the jet opened, and the cyclotron was launched. T-Bone turned the Turbokat at the last second once the projectile that held the large motorcycle was fired. The jet turned, flying past the tower rather than right into it. The cyclotron however crashed straight through the window and into the tower. 

"Bingo! She's in!" 

"Yes! Now let's go take care of those blasted wyverns!" The jet turned, flying to meet the winged monsters head-on. 

The cyclotron's tires hit the stone floor inside the tower, shattered glass flying in all the directions. Elena jerked the bike rapidly to the side, skidding to a stop before hitting the opposite wall, then turning to ride out the room's door and up the spiral staircase outside of it. She gunned the cyclotron's engine. A trio of goblins stood in her way on the stairs ahead, heavy crossbows aimed right at her. 

"I don't think so!" 

Leaving her bolt gun and sword still at her sides for now, she drew the laser gun Razor had given her. The koblins had no chance as she shot them off the side of the stairs with perfect aim. 

Upon reaching the top of the stairwell, she came up into another large room further up the tower and slid the bike to a quick stop. A red-robed battle mage stood at the opposite wall, his hood covering half of his dark-red furred face. Five warriors and nearly a dozen koblins stood before her. She switched the gun to her off-hand and drew her sword. The sorcerer threw a fireball at her almost instantly and she jumped out of the way just in time to avoid it's impact. The cyclotron exploded. A blue glowing shield surrounded her, protecting her from the flying shrapnel which severely crippled the most of the koblin attackers. 

Not wasting a moment, Elena lept to her feet and charged forward, sword flashing. She fired the laser and took out two koblins instantly. A third koblin swung it's mace, which was severed by the unnaturally sharp blade, as was it's head. Between the gun and the sword, she cut down most of the koblins easily and took out two of the warriors. One warrior lunged in with his sword and the blade stabbed Elena in the right leg. She hissed and spun around quickly, slicing off the offender's entire sword arm. The kat screamed and staggered backwards. The shield came up again as three bolts of red energy impacted it, their having been aimed directly at her chest. 

The two remaining warriors came at her again. She turned are fired the laser gun at the first, the impact to his chest sending him flying back several feet, slamming into the second. They both fell and the second kat had to push his dead comrade's body off of him. Elena fired again, hitting the other kat, killing him instantly. 

Before she could turn the gun on her final adversary though, a glowing whip lashed around the gun and jerked it out of her hand. Elena turned her attention towards the mage, a snarl on her face. A dark grin could be seen on the mage's face and he pushed back his hood. 

"Remember me, Elena?" 

"Kirok!" 

The mage held the glowing whip in his right hand and smiled darkly at her. Elena remembered that whip. It had left the many painful gashes across her back. She remembered the mage. He was the one who tortured her. He would then heal her wounds, so that he could continue the torture without killing her. Only the non-fatal wounds, the less crippling ones, he left to fester. She had sustained far more pain and torment at his hands than anyone else could have known, because most of the wounds he had made were healed or hidden. 

"It's nice to see you've returned. Should we pick up were left off?" 

"I'll be merciful to you, Kirok. I'll spare you the suffering you so eagerly bestowed upon me. Your death will be quick!" 

"I doubt that, girl!" 

He cracked the whip at her. Elena jumped out of the way. She rolled on the ground and came up back on her paws, drawing the bolt gun in place of the laser. She fired at the mage. With unnatural speed, the blood-colored kat dodged the bolt. He cracked the whip again. Again Elena lept aside, but this time she was just a touch too slow. The end of the whip caught the tip of her tail just above the tuft. A sliver of fur and flesh was ripped away and she hissed in pain, refusing to scream. 

"Not quick enough!" 

Snarling, she fired again. Again he dodged. However she had rigged the gun to fire several times in succession. Three bolts shot at the mage. He dodged easily at first, but still wasn't prepared for the fact that her weapon had multiple shots. The third bolt hit the mage in his left shoulder. His red robes darkened in color as the blood soaked into them. He sneered as he pulled out the bolt from his shoulder. "Nice trick." 

"You'll love this one!" 

Elena crouched. The shadows of the room then deepened. The torches along the walls flickered and went out. Everything went black. 

"What?" Kirok quickly cast a spell, summoning a small ball of red flame into his hands. It wasn't enough to cut though the magical shadows. 

"It's the dark of night, Kirok. The moon is full, hidden behind the shadow of the eclipse. The sun is gone. Your power has no chance now against mine!" 

The mage turned, looking in each direction. Her voice echoed from everywhere at once. A tiny flash, the reflection of the flame on steel, and the mage's body slumped to the ground. The shadow lifted, but the room was still dark. The flame had gone out when the sorcerer's head hit the ground, free of his body. The whip lost it's glow and now lay at Elena's feet. 

Standing still for a moment, she looked down at the body of the one who had tortured her. He wasn't simply 'following orders'. He had enjoyed every moment. He took pleasure in every scream he had brought from her lips. She had kept her promise. She had showed him the mercy in death that he had denied her in life. Turning, she ran up the next flight of stairs. The real challenge was still to come. 

As she neared the top of the stairs, the talisman burned with a bright silver light. She was close. She ran forward, jumping over the last two steps and kicking hard into the wooden door. It flew open and she was met with an explosion of fire. Elena expected what was about to happen and protected herself with a spell, but it still wasn't enough to stop the intense heat of the blast from causing several minor burns. She rolled twice on the floor then came up into a crouch, weapons ready. The room was a large bed-chamber, richly furnished with polished red oak furniture and silken tapestries. Standing at the opposite side of the room, silhouetted by the large glass windows and door opening onto a small balcony, was Shade Kat. 

"It's about time you showed yourself again, Elena!" The massive coal-furred cat towered over her, his deep voice full of malice. He wore a red silk shirt with long, flowing sleeves trimmed in gold thread. His pants were also red silk, with the same gold trim. His eyes glowed with an unnatural red fire and about his neck was the Sun Talisman. The deep red stone, glowing crimson, was set into a gold pendant and hung from a thick gold chain around his neck.  
He stared down at her and laughed. "And I see this time, you have brought me what is mine!" 

"You shall never have both Talismans, Shade Kat! This world is not yours to rule!" 

"And who's is it? Yours? You're not even _from _this world!" 

"It belongs to everyone! To the people who live here! They shall remain free from your rule! This I have sworn!" 

"So you say, but oaths mean nothing next to cold steel!" He drew a large sword, it's blade forged of a dark, almost black metal. 

Elena brought up the gun and fired the last bolt. Shade Kat easily knocked the bolt away with the flat of his sword. She tossed the empty gun away, then brought her now free hand around in a sweeping motion, as if she were pulling a cloak around herself. Her form shimmered and vanished into shadow. The shadow moved, a dark blur, towards Shade Kat. He side-stepped, bringing up his sword Sparks flew as the two blades connected several times. The shadow moved again to another corner of the room. 

"Your Shadow Cloak won't save you this time, girl!" The talisman around his neck glowed a bright red, then all sources of light in the room burst into bright flashes of gold flame, illuminating every tiny corner of the chamber with light. Elena's Shadow Cloak fell away from her, disintegrating into black mist and vanishing. She was once again fully visible, crouching low on the floor, her sword in her right hand. She sat poised to spring, a vicious snarl on her face. He laughed. "Your time has come, Elena!" 

"Wrong, Shade Kat, _yours _has!" 

The next instant, both kats leap aside as a wyvern crashed backwards through the large windows at the back of the room. The roar of the Turbokat's engines then blocked out all sound for an instant as the jet shot past the outside of the tower. Both kats lept back out of the way of the wyvern. Taking the momentary distraction, Elena lept forward at Shade Kat again. He turned just in time, and again their blades met. But the force of Elena's lunge caused Shade Kat to stumble backwards several steps. 

The wyverns flew directly at the Turbokat. T-Bone closed the distance fast. The wyverns, being diurnal creatures, couldn't see nearly as well in the now moonless night. They never noticed the red-barreled machine below the front of the jet, just under where Razor sat in the cockpit. He fired, and two wyverns were hit with the wet cement. 

"Bingo! Two down, two to go!" 

The other two, which were flying behind the first pair, dodged aside as the Turbokat shot between them. They turned and gave chase. The jet angled up, into a loop, then rotated into a turn, now heading back towards the wyverns. They dodged out of the way and flew back towards the castle, now cautions about the cement gun.  
Razor watched them leave in the dimensional radar. "Now where are they going?" 

"I don't know, but I'm not letting them get away!" He flew the jet fast after the fleeing wyverns. Every time they got close enough to take aim with the gun, the wyverns dodged, keeping themselves well out of way. They may not have been nearly as fast, but they could turn much quicker than the fighter jet. The wyverns finally reached the castle, using it's towers in an attempt to loose the SWAT Kats. T-Bone zig-zagged after them through the multitude of large towers and turrets. The pair of wyverns flew around one of the larger towers. T-Bone followed, but once he looped around it, he saw a problem. 

"Hey, where'd the other one go?" 

"I don't know! I can't find it on radar?" 

A sudden loud 'thump' was heard and the jet shook. T-Bone looked up. "Found it!" 

The wyvern had dug it's claws into the jet and gripped the sides of the wings with the sharp claws on the tips of it's own wings. The tail lashed and the head on it's long neck was staring down at them through the canopy of the cockpit, a red glow of malice in it's eyes. It opened it's jaws wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, then bit down at the canopy. The glass cracked. "Aw crud!" 

"Let's see if I can get it off! Firing upper missile launchers!" 

The two smaller missiles with their pincer-type tips raised up from above the wings and fired. Each hit the wyvern under it's wing-joints and sent it flying forward, right towards the tower in front of them. The wyvern crashed through the large glass window in the tower and disappeared inside. The jet turned and flew straight past right side of the tower. 

"Hold it! T-Bone, go back. I think I saw something!" 

"I've heard that line before." 

"I mean it!" 

"Okay! Okay!" 

Ignoring the other wyvern for the moment, which could be seen a slight distance off, they turned back for the tower the first wyvern had crashed through. As they passed by, the two Kats could see a pair of shapes fighting with swords in the opening. The two figures fought their way slowly out onto the balcony. T-Bone instantly recognized the smaller fighter. 

"It's Elena!" 

The jet passed by the tower again, and again turned for another pass. But this time the wyvern was back and they had to divert their attention. T-Bone had seen Elena practicing with her sword. He knew she was good. 'She's going to have to hold her own for now.' 

The wyvern was now diving straight at them, it's talons extended. It had figured out that the cement machine gun was under the jet, so it was staying above it. The Turbokat rolled to the right,just in time to avoid the wyvern entirely. 

"Releasing drop-tops!" 

The four spinning 'tops' dropped from the now open hatch. Two of them hit the wyvern as it dove past, tearing into it's left wing. Blood splattered from the now partially severed appendage and the best fell, impaling into a spike-topped turret further down . 

"Yuck. Well, that takes care of that!" Turning sharply, they headed back to the tower where they had seen Elena. 

Sparks continued to fly as steel met steel time again. Both fighters were highly skilled in the use of their blades. Elena's speed gave her a slight advantage over Shade Kat's size and strength, so long as she avoided getting too close. But that meant she couldn't get in a strong enough hit in either. Ever so slowly, she was maneuvering the fight onto the balcony, closer and closer to the edge. Finally, she judged that Shade Kat was close enough. Elena lept up, spinning in the air with a hard round-house kick. She hit Shade Kat straight in the chest, sending him stumbling backward, hitting the railing. But he wasn't completely unprepared. As Elena landed and jumped back, she felt a sting in her left hip. In Shade Kat's other hand was a green-tinted dagger, a thin red line of blood on it's edge. 

He threw back his head and gave a deep laugh. "Did you really think it would be that easy? The poison will only need a few moments to fully enter your system. You just took _yourself _out of this fight!" 

She narrowed her emerald eyes, now full of hate for the larger kat. A few moments was all she needed. She charged, leaping into the air with every ounce of her strength. Sword collided with sword, but the full force of Elena's impact drove her blade along the length of his, sliding past it's end and into Shade Kat's chest. The blow also threw him backwards, and both kats fell off the edge of the balcony, plummeting towards the stone courtyard far below. 

"ELENA!" 

T-Bone threw the power lever forward, bringing the engines to maximum. The jet dove at incredible speed towards the falling kats. Razor took aim and fired. The spider missile shot forward, it's tip breaking apart to extend the heavy netting. His aim was perfect. The netting wrapped around Elena, pulling her away from the falling Shade Kat, and away from the stones below, as the jet pulled back up and away from the castle.


	12. Emotional Farewells

With Shade Kat dead, his force broke morale and fled. The Turbokat's rotary thrusters turned downwards as the main engines powered down. The jet descended and hovered over the grass at the edge of the battlefield. A massive cheer went up from the soldiers. Inside the jet though, the mood was quite different. Mau, having regained his horse, rode towards them at full gallop, bringing to mare to a quick stop just as the canopy opened. He could sense that something was very wrong.

"How is she?"

Razor yelled back down to the mage. "She's been poisoned! I don't know how bad, but she won't stay conscious!"

"Get back to camp as fast as you can! Find the witches! GO!"

The jet rose back up, then the thrusters shut back off as the engines again roared to life and the jet flew quickly back over the forest. T-Bone pushed their speed as fast as they could take it. They covered the full distance in only a few minutes, though it felt like an eternity as Elena's life began to slip away. As soon as they landed, T-Bone took Elena and jumped down out of the jet, Razor following behind.

"We need the witches! Elena's been poisoned!"

There was a soft but panicked murmuring from those who remained at the encampment. Soon a gray-furred she-kat in a dark green dress ran towards them. "Take her to her tent! Quickly!" They did so, and T-Bone gently placed her down onto the cot. Elena's breathing was raspy and labored, and there was a pinkish foam at the corners of her mouth. Her skin felt as if she were on fire. The witch ran into the tent moments later with two other similarly dressed she-kats behind her. "Now get out! We need to work."

"I not leav..."

"OUT!" She cut him off before he could even finish his sentence.

Razor placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "C'mon, T-Bone. You know how things can be with magic. We'll wait just outside."

T-Bone growled. "Alright." He clearly wasn't happy about it, but he finally turned and stepped outside of the tent with his friend, his ears flat in both anger and concern.  
Inside, they could hear the witches chanting in a language neither one recognized. Other kats in the camp constantly cast worried looks their way.  
It took nearly half an hour and T-Bone was completely on edge. Razor did what he could to keep him calm, even though he was also worried. They had become good friends with Elena over the past couple of weeks and they both now feared that she might not even make it though the night. Finally the front flap of the tent opened and the witches slowly walked out.

T-Bone looked up sharply. "Well?"

"We've done all we can. The rest is up to her. But she should not be left alone this night."

Razor put a hand on T-Bone's shoulder then looked to the witches. "We'll stay with her. Thank you."

The gray-furred witch nodded, her face expressionless. Then the three walked off, back into the darkness.

Entering the tent again, the two walked over to where Elena lay on her cot. The talisman around her neck was as dark as the night about them, it's deep blue stone appearing almost black. Her breathing was still very shallow, but she was alive.

Chance finally pulled off his flight helmet and mask, setting them on the ground nearby as he kneeled down beside the cot. Gently, he took Elena's hand in his. "C'mon. I know you can survive this. I won't loose you now."

Jake set his helmet and mask on the table, then stood beside his friend. "She'll make it. I know she will." He looked down at the talisman and it's now-black stone. His ears laid back, a worried expression on his face.

Jake slowly woke up from where he lay on the ground. He could tell from the dim red light that it was now early morning. Except for the forest songbirds, the camp was still and quiet. He slowly got up and looked over to his friends. Chance was still asleep, sitting on the ground, his head resting on his folded arms on the cot beside Elena. Jake knew that his partner and the warrior she-kat cared for each other, he just didn't know yet how deeply that bond went. He walked over to them, careful not to wake Chance, and placed two fingers to Elena's neck, checking her vitals. Her breathing and pulse were still weak, but at least she was alive. He whispered softly, more to himself to than to the sleeping she-kat. "C'mon, girl. You can pull through this. You have to." The talisman's stone was still as black at night.

He turned and walked out of the tent, stretching. There was almost no sign of life in the camp. "Where is everyone? The army should have returned by now?" Jake turned and walked to the next tent over, slowly pushing back the flap. "Mau?"

"I'm here." The sorcerer's raspy voice replied from the darkness inside.

"Where is everyone?"

"The citadel. There is much work still to be done. The bodies are being collected for burial."

Jake's heart sank. "How many?"

"Over half of our soldiers have fallen."

"Birman?"

"Wounded, but he'll be fine. He's currently in command, overseeing the work."

"What about Cymric?"

"I don't know. There's no sign of the ranger yet, and most of his unit is dead."

"Mau, the Moon Talisman... The stone is black?"

"I know, I saw it." The wizard now stepped out the entrance of the tent, leaning heavily on his staff. Jake took a step back as he did. The left side of the spotted kat's face had a long gash running from just above his eye, down to his chin. The silver-gray fur around it was stained with still drying blood. His blue robes were also splattered in blood, and Jake could see a heavy dark stain at his right hip surrounding a small gash in the fabric, apparently a stab wound from a sword.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll live."

Jake was well used to combat, first from his Enforcer, years then from the several years that he and Chance had been the SWAT Kats. Casualties did occasionally happen, mainly with the bad guys, but the pair always did their best to avoid it. Never in his life did he dream he would see this sort of carnage. Just two nights ago he had been celebrating with the kats of this encampment, the entire clearing full of life. Now it was as still as a graveyard, half of it's occupants dead, and the other half gone to collect the bodies. He felt the knot in his stomach tighten.

"Jake? Are you alright?"

"I'm... I'm not..."

Jake suddenly turned and leaned on the pole supporting the nearest corner of the tent. He vomited. "I'm used to fighting, but not like this. Never like this."

The wizard nodded solemnly. "I understand."

Elena's body still lived, barely, but her spirit was not with it. She stood in a small clearing, veiled in mist, the crescent moon illuminating her with it's pale glow. She knew she had left her body. Her life had been unnaturally long, and she was finally ready for it to be over.

"You're not ready yet."

She turned at the sound of the voice behind her. "Yes I am."

"No, your not."

The ranger walked out of the mist towards her. Elena could see that Cymric's form was not substantial, the mists swirled through him as if he were not even there.

"You're dead. I'm dying."

"Not yet. Your aging was stopped by the Talisman, all for this night. Now it's finally over, and you can live your life as you should have."

"What life? I've nothing left."

"You do. Remember what it's like, Elena. Remember what it's like to _live_."

She stood there, watching the ghostly form of her friend approach. Her emerald eyes had lost their shine. They were now dull and lifeless, the many years of war weighing heavily on her soul. The blood of countless dead staining her hands.

"Think back. Remember when we first met. Remember our friendship. Remember Birman, how you practically raised him. He was like a little brother to you. Don't forget that. Don't leave him like this. Remember what it's like to live... to care... to love..."

"To... love?"

Elena closed her eyes. Images swirled about her like leaves in the wind. She saw herself, twenty years ago. She looked the same as she did now, but Birman didn't. He was still a kitten, a teenager. His mother had been killed, his father too busy with the refugees of Shade Kat's recent attacks to pay much attention to him. Elena saw herself and him as she taught him to use a sword. To fight. She remembered laughing, enjoying herself. Enjoying the boy's constant companionship But he wasn't a kitten anymore. He was now General of her army. _Her_ army. No, not anymore. Now it was _his _army. Her time was over.

The images swirled. It was ten years ago. She remembered the ranger. He was younger, more handsome. The years hadn't weighed so heavily on him then. She remembered him teaching her the ways of the forest. To track the most minute marks in the grass, to disappear into the shadows of the trees. They had become close friends, and she trusted him with her very life, just as he came to trust her with his. But he had lost his life. Lost it for her. Her best friend was gone.

The image was blown away as smoke is blown away on the wind. A small light appeared in her eyes. A single tear reflected the shine of the moon.

She then saw herself, it was the previous night. Was it only the night before? It felt like an eternity. There was a celebration in camp. She danced, loosing herself in the moment. They had hope again. For the first time in more than twenty years, they had hope. And it was because of _them_. The SWAT Kats. As she danced, she looked over, past the bonfire's dancing flames. She saw her new friends, Chance and Jake, sitting on a log with Birman, watching her. She had known them for only a few short weeks, but it felt like she had known them her whole life.

She remembered. She remembered later that night, at the enchanted hot spring. She remembered Chance, how they had made love beneath the moonlight. For her entire long life, she had kept herself apart from everyone else. Was it really her first time? Would it also be her last?

"Chance..."

Elena opened her eyes. She wasn't in the clearing in the forest. Cymric wasn't there. She was in her tent, laying on her cot. She could tell by the light that it was evening. How long had it been? Hours? Days? Weeks? She didn't know. She didn't move her head, but turned her eyes to the soft sound of breathing nearby. Chance was beside her, sitting on the ground, his head resting on his arms beside her on the edge of the cot. She smiled. She was so weak, but she could feel the life slowly returning to her. She wouldn't die. Not yet.

Elena slowly reached out her hand to the big tabby's arm. She slid her hand down his arm and gently gripped his hand. His eyes opened. "Huh..? El... Elena? You're awake!"

It took three days of grievous work. Half of the camp's tents and supplies had been cleared away, now replaced by a massive graveyard. There were now hundreds of graves in over a dozen rows. Most had the swords of the fallen as their headstones. Others, wooden grave markers from nearby tree branches. The sun was now setting on the third day. The grisly task was finally completed. In the morning, the remainder of the camp would be broken down and the kats would leave the place forever to start their new lives, free of Shade Kat's rule.

Jake and Chance were helping Birman load a wagon. Jake glanced to the grim soldier. "What will you do now?"

Birman shrugged. "I don't know. I was thinking about returning to what's left of the village where I was born. Several others were talking about it as well. Maybe we can rebuild. Start over."

Chance lifted a large barrel onto the back of the wagon. Jake secured it with a rope as he stepped back. "That's the last of it."

"Thank you. Both of you. For everything."

Chance just nodded, then looked around the quiet camp. They'd been in this strange world for nearly a month. At first, he wanted nothing more than to get back home, to the tall sky-scrapers and hectic life of Megakat City. But now he was viewing this place differently. The vast forest, the peacefulness, the people. They didn't have to hide who they were. They weren't 'vigilantes'. They weren't outcasts. These people knew them and respected them. They had made several friends here. He almost wanted to stay. Jake shared his sentiments.

The day was drawing to a close, the red sun sinking low in the sky. The three kats left the wagon and walked towards the other end of camp. Towards the newly-built cemetery. They found Elena among the graves, kneeling by one in particular. A finely-crafted sword, it's hilt carved in the form of a falcon, with a line of runes down the blade, marked the grave. Other kats were nearby, saying their farewells to their friends and family members who had died in the bloody battle of three days past. The trio of kats remained quiet as they approached the she-kat. They stopped a few feet behind her. Elena's ears flicked, she knew they were there. Yet she didn't move. The last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. The waning moon now hung low over the trees.

Chance opened his mouth, about to say something, when another sound cut him off. A fiddle, playing slow and sad, echoed from across the field, it's soft music carrying on the wind. They looked over and saw one of the witches playing it. Everyone stood silent, watching the gray-furred she-kat. After a moment, a voice, soft and sad, echoed along with the music.

It was Elena. She sang, softly, her voice full of emotion. It was a lament to those who had fallen, to friends lost. Her eyes were closed, but everyone knew who she was singing to. And it wasn't to anyone still among the living. After the first verse, she stood slowly, her voice gaining in strength. There was a pause, then she repeated the verse. The chorus. Other voices joined in. More and more kats began to sing. Each time the chorus was repeated, ever more kats joined in until every voice in the camp was raised in song.

Chance and Jake were the only two who didn't know the lyrics, but they still mouthed the words to the chorus of the emotional song. Chance walked up to Elena and gently put his arms around her waist, laying his chin on the back of her shoulder. She closed her eyes and leaned back against him. When the song ended, not a single soul in the camp didn't have at least a single tear in their eyes.

They turned, and the four silently walked back out of the graveyard, then back through the camp to the command tent.

The morning was bleak. Thick, dark clouds hung low in the sky, blocking out the right light of the sun. In the air swirled a fine mist of miniscule droplets, a prelude to the coming rain. The encampment was in the final stages of being broken down. Some kats were already leaving in their wagons, never to see each other, or the graves of their fallen allies, again. T-Bone and Razor sat in the cockpit of the jet. Elena stood close-by with Birman and Mau. She held the two talismans, Sun and Moon, in her hands. The good-byes had already been said, and a grim silence had fallen over the kats.

The warrior and the wizard both took several steps back as a strong magical energy filled the air. Elena held up the talismans, and slowly brought them together. The energy grew, causing a powerful wind to encircle the warrior-sorceress. Sparks of white-hot energy shot between the two talismans, gaining in intensity as they came together. A bright flash caused the four male kats to hide their eyes.

When the flash faded, Elena stood still, her head low. In her hands was a single talisman. The stone was a swirling spiral of alternating bands of deep red and sapphire blue. It was surrounded by a pendant of the purest silver etched with gold runes and on a golden chain. Slowly, she placed the pendant around her neck.  
Mau leaned on his staff. His hip injury in the battle had left him with a bad limp. "The Astral Stone is whole again. It's power if yours, Elena."

Elena held the stone in her hands, looking down at it, her face expressionless. She closed her emerald eyes, and the stone began to glow. The red and blue of the spiral's bands fused together in a bright violet light. She lifted her head and raised the stone in her hands. A beam of pure light short from it into the sky, opening a swirling vortex in the gray clouds. The wind howled about them.

"It's time."

T-Bone looked down at her. "Come with us, Elena."

She had almost expected to hear the request, but it still took her as a slight surprise.

"I can't." Her voice was soft, almost inaudible over the wind. "I'm needed here."

"No you're not." Birman walked up behind her, placing a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder. "You've been here longer than most kats have lived. You've been our guiding star throughout the endless night of Shade Kat's reign. Go. Make a new life for yourself."

Behind him, Mau nodded, supporting the warrior's decision.

She looked into his blue eyes. "But..."

"No. Go."

A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she hugged her 'brother'.

No more words were said. They didn't need to be. Elena jumped up onto the wing of the Turbokat, then from there into the cockpit behind Razor.

Birman and Mau took several steps back as the jet lifted into the air. It's main engines flared to life and it flew into the sky, and into the swirling vortex of the portal...

[Thank you for reading my story! Please take a moment to send me a review. I'd love to know what ther people think about my work!]

*The story had ended for now, but nothing ever really ends. The Shadow Trilogy continues in part 2: Curse of the Werekat (now complete), and in part 3: Shadows of Shadow (currently in progress)

Curse of the Werekat Preview: Back in the SWAT Kat's home world, Elena is adjusting well to life with her friends, Jake and Chance. But an old enemy from her past causes new problems for her possible future, and for all of Megakat City. With Dr. Viper teaming up with the Pastmater in yet another attempt to turn Megakat City into Megaswamp City, can Elena and the SWAT Kats overcome an evil 'curse' from destroying them, while at the same time stopping the villains from destroying their home? (Rated "M" for violence, gore, and mild sexual content)


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